Because we had some unusually chilly days here in the Phoenix area and my sous-chef (aka Hubby) was a around a little extra this past weekend, we decided to go with the beef stew for our first December recipe.
First of all, we had to buy a dutch oven cause we didn't have one. (I used a roasting pan to make the roast chicken a few weeks ago, but didn't feel like I had an appropriate dish for this recipe.) After shopping online a bit, I decided to go with one from Sam's Club ... I think it was around $50 for a 6.5 qt incase anyone is in the market for one.
I chopped veggies and worked on other aspects of the recipe while my Hubby got banished to the other side of the kitchen with the bloody meat. There is no way in the world I could've made this recipe without him ... too much handling of meat for me!! We opted to make our beef daube without any of the alcohol and replaced it all with a nice beef broth. My stew may have turned-out more water-y/runny, but it was still delish.
I served my stew to my family with leftover Thanksgiving mashed potatoes, which was a perfect go-along. I was worried that I didn't have enough gravy leftover, but I don't know if anyone even touched the gravy cause there was enough broth in the soup ... I just plopped my potatoes right into my stew. I also had some homemade rolls in the freezer that I hadn't quite baked all the way, so my daughter got those out and helped me finish baking them. The rolls were great with the recipe as well!
If you like pot roast or love meat, this is a great recipe for you to try! If I were to make it again, I'd add more veggies ... maybe some more carrots, a few potatoes, some celery, etc. My only complaint about the recipe was when we had leftovers the next day, one of the herb flavors (I couldn't tell if it was the rosemary or thyme or both) had become too strong for my tastes.
For the month of December, we get to choose the order that we want to cook or bake each of the December recipes. It's fun to see what everyone else chooses to do for the week and to see their results. If you'd like to see what everyone else has done this week, go HERE.
12 comments:
Your stew looks delicious and I love your bowl! Congrats on the new dutch oven...I bet you're going to LOVE it!!!!
Looks lovely. I am really looking forward to trying this - and am so glad that so many FFwD'ers have gone before me.
You will wonder how you ever survived without your Dutch Oven, I tell you. Congrats!
Your stew looks delicious. I also made this dish but I used the wine. It gave it a very nice distinct flavor. However, I think it would be great either way.
I always love to have an excuse to buy a new piece of kitchen equipment. Hope you enjoy yours!
Mmmm! It looks wonderful! I'm ready to make this one... perfect for the few chilly nights we've had here in Texas! :)
Buying a Dutch oven shows dedication! I kept hemming and hawing over whether to buy one when I found an all-metal soup pot that worked! That's interesting about the stronger herb taste in the morning. I've noticed that I'm getting stronger flavors as well when I use fresh herbs as opposed to dried. Great post and your daube looks delicious!
It's been unusually cold here as well and this would be perfect for such a night. Serving it in such a pretty bowl makes it even more special. You got a great buy on your dutch oven.
hooray for dutch ovens! i have a small one (3.5 quarts) and have been wanting a 5 quart for some time now. maybe i'll get one before i cook this dish. yours looks great--good to know it is still delicious without the alcohol.
A great review - can't wait to make it.
I don't have a Dutch oven either, but I am thinking that Santa will recognize all the good deeds I accomplished this year and bring me a nice red one:)
We are having a chilly week here in SoCal, and the daube sounds very inviting.
BTW, I think it might be rosemary that became stronger with time - it is a persistent one:)
Lana
Becky, your stew looks wonderful! And that bowl ... I love it. I just made this stew tonight, and I loved it too. I'll be curious to try it tomorrow for lunch. I wonder if the herbs will have intensified in mine as well.
Looks wonderful! Sounds like you have great kitchen helpers, too.
Nice post. Cooking these Dorie recipes has made me dig out my dutch ovens from the shed...can't believe they have been banished to the outdoor cooking collection...but that is where all my cast iron seems to have gone. Because we do lots of patio and outdoor cooking, it's nice to have pots and pans that I enjoy for outdoor use. But...now I find myself using them inside, and I actually have some pretty and very useful pieces that are really too good for outside. I agree with a previous post that you will not know how you survived with out this new kitchen equipment item. And, your daube looks terrific!
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