Guys, it’s the week-end…..yippee! TGIF! Yours truly, is in a laid back mood. And when I’m in this mind-set, I’ve to have comfort foods. I won’t apologize for what I indulged in. The dish involved beef for stewing, red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon) and sweet and sour cabbage.
The thing is, I’ve been a very good girl all week. I ate my many garden salads, wholesome grains, drank gallons (well, a few pints) of water and believe it or not, I also had cup cakes made from black beans. Made them a few weeks ago and had them in the freezer. Yes, I went there. Said I wouldn’t but for the sake of extra fibers, I ate a couple of the healthy brownies. Oh, I’m not over the moon; but, it’s not the end of the world.
So, it had been sometime since I had beef (not a big lover); however, once in a while, I like to indulge. I had about cup of Cabernet Sauvignon and decided to ‘go to town’. I decided to cook a braised (stewed beef) in red wine sauce. With the helping of a few root veggies, a simple dish turned out to be spectacular.
Ingredients:
- Beef for stewing
- Red wine (1cup) any red wine will do
- Root veggies (carrots, celery, onion)
- Garlic (3 cloves)
- Thyme (1 teaspoon)
- Scallion (2 stalks)
- Salt/pepper to taste
- Parsley
- Dried basil
Method:
- In a sturdy skillet, I heated a little canola oil.
- Crushed garlic pieces were removed from seasoned pieces of beef.
- Then pieces of beef were lightly dredged in flour and placed in skillet for browning.
- After browning of beef, red wine was added so as to glaze the pan ensuring to remove all the good bits at the bottom of skillet.
- Root vegetables were then added. These were seasoned with a pinch of salt, pepper, dried basil, all spice (pimento), a squeeze of ketchup, drizzle of soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and additional crushed garlic and thyme.
- Cold tap water was added to cover ingredients and the lid was placed on skillet.
- Stewed beef was simmered and cooked for approximately two and half hours under low to medium heat.
- Every half hour, additional water was added to continue the cooking process.
- Â When stewed beef was fork tender, it was served in bowl with a garnish of scallion and parsley.
Guys, I served my stewed beef in red wine sauce with a beautiful bed of sweet and sour cabbage and some pasta (not included in pic). The red wine gave my dish additional bold and rich flavors. The different spices and seasonings permeated my space and certainly tickled my taste buds.
Now, it’s time; it’s time to catch up on my guilty pleasures of ‘Empire’, ‘Sandal’ and ‘How to Get Away with Murder’. Of course, I’ll be sipping away on glass of Merlot (I see my name on it). Cheers!