Beef Stew

It’s not from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, isn’t from Joy Of Cooking, isn’t even from any cookbook by Julia Child. Betty Crocker is my friend too.

And I don’t mean a box had her name on it. I have found food that comes from a box is not food. It might have been food in a former life, but is no longer real food. And who wants to eat fake food?

This is genuine food. Real meat. Real carrots. Real celery. Real onions. Real cheese.

Yes, I said real cheese. And a whole lot of real cheese. Freshly grated cheese. You must make this…this week.

You start with stew meat. I used pork because that’s what I had. The recipe calls for coating the meat in flour before browning, but I didn’t do that. I’m a rebel.

Brown the stew meat in 2 tablespoons olive oil. I used red pepper flavored olive oil. It adds a little color and a lot of flavor.

Add some chopped onions, garlic and saute just a few seconds.

Add 3.5 cups of a vegetable juice cocktail. I got mine at the health food store. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1-1.25 hours for beef (and 30 minutes for pork).

While that is simmering, start chopping your veggies, carrots, celery and potatoes.

Put in the pan, cover and simmer for an additional 30 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are tender. Add a LOT of shredded cheddar cheese. The more the better.