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In the fall the truly special flavor and aroma of homemade stew is always welcome. You don’t have to spend half the day in the kitchen to make a satisfying stew. Commercial products combine with fresh ingredients make delicious stews in a hurry. If you’re a working person, whether it be in or outside the home, crockpot stews are time savers. In many instances you can prep the veggies the night before and keep them in water until you’re ready to start cooking the next day. When I make stew for supper, I think of it as a full meal in a saucepan, especially if it’s served with crusty French bread, cornbread, popovers or muffins. Sounds pretty good to me––how about you?

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Let’s make a stew in the crockpot.

BEEF STEW WITH

MUSHROOMS

2 lbs. stew meat, cut in one-inch cubes

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1-4 oz. can mushrooms, drained

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper

half a soup can of water

In a skillet, brown beef in 1-1/2 T. butter or oil. Grease crockpot, sprinkle 1/4 of dry onion soup in bottom. Layer in meat, mushroom soup, mushrooms and rest of onion soup mix. Pour water over. Cover, cook on low eight hours or on high four hours.

Serve over hot rice or noodles if you wish. Serves 6.

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This is a thick, full-bodied, mildly spicy stew that can be served with white or brown rice.

CHILI BEEF STEW

2 lbs. well-trimmed boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes

1/2 c. flour, seasoned with 1-1/2 t. salt, 1 t. pepper and 1/2 t. paprika

1/4 c. canola or olive oil

1 c. diced onion (1 medium)

1 t. minced fresh garlic

2 t. chili powder (or to taste)

1-1/2 c. canned crushed tomatoes

1/2 c. beef broth (made with bouillon) or water

1-15 oz. can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed*

Coat meat with seasoned flour and brown in hot oil in Dutch oven (6-8 qt. pan). Reduce heat to medium-low. Drain off all but 1 T. pan drippings. Set meat aside. Saute onion and garlic in pan, stirring once or twice for 3-4 minutes. Add chili powder, tomatoes and broth; bring to a boil. Return meat to pan. Reduce heat to very low; cover and simmer one hour, stirring occasionally. Add additional 1/4 to 1/2 cup water if getting too dry. Cover and simmer one hour or until meat is tender. Stir in kidney beans. Heat through.

*Can use canned chili beans, undrained, if you wish. To garnish, pass bowls of sour cream, chopped green onion, grated cheese and let guests garnish their own serving. Makes 6 servings.

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This is an easier and quicker version of Brunswick stew.

SHORTCUT BRUNSWICK STEW

2 strips bacon

1/2 c. diced onion

1 can tomato soup, undiluted

1-1/4 c. water

1 t. worcestershire sauce

1/4 t. pepper

1-10 oz. package frozen lima beans

1-10 oz. package whole kernel corn (or 1-1/4 c. from a bag)

2 c. cubed cooked chicken

1 T. cornstarch

1 T. water

In a 3 qt. saucepan, fry bacon until crisp; remove with slotted spoon, to paper towel to drain.

In drippings, cook onion until tender. Stir in next four ingredients; bring to a boil. Add beans and corn; return to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes. Crumble bacon; add to stew with chicken.

In a small dish, combine cornstarch with water; stir into stew. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until thickened. Makes four servings.

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I always think of stew as being made with beef. Not so in this recipe.

PORK AND WINTER SQUASH STEW

2 lbs. lean boneless pork, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 T. canola or vegetable oil

2 c. diced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 c. fresh sliced mushrooms*

1-1/2 c. diagonally sliced carrots, cut 1/2-inch thick

2-15 oz. cans Italian stewed tomatoes

2 t. dried thyme leaves

1/2 t. pepper

1/2 t. salt

4 c. peeled, cubed butternut squash

hot cooked noodles, optional

In a 4 qt. Dutch oven, brown pork in 1 T. oil; drain and set aside. Heat rest of oil in same pan over medium heat.

Saute onion and garlic over medium heat for three minutes. Add next six ingredients; bring to a boil. Lower heat; cover and simmer for one hour.

Add squash; simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes or until meat and veggies are tender.

Serve over noodles if you wish.

*You may use 2-4 oz. cans sliced mushrooms, drained (add last 15 minutes of cooking time). Makes 8 servings.

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Thought for the day: If you’re in a stew, you’ve been simmering too long.

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