beef stew | (4 qt. crock pot) |
2 lbs. NY sirloin steak 2 russet potatoes 1 onion 3 garlic cloves, chopped 2 cups frozen vegetables |
1 can beef broth 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce 1/2 tbsp brown sugar 1/4 cup of flour salt/pepper to taste |
there's nothing particularly hard about beef stew, just gather the ingredients and throw them into the crockpot. i wanted to get some roasting beef, but there was a sale on sirloin ($2.99/lbs.) so that was actually cheaper, therefore i got that instead. i chopped the beef into cubes, sprinkled salt and ground pepper over them, and tried to sear them before adding to the crockpot. apparently my frying pan wasn't hot enough because i mostly browned them, and only really seared the final batch. my house did smell like a savory barbecue joint afterwards.
i was also prepared to make a heavy cassava cake (with the 3 lbs. yuca i bought from haymarket many weeks ago), but i wasn't happy with the coconut milk selection at market basket, so i will hold until i can get better coconut milk.
my father dropped by in the afternoon to pick up my 4 jars of kimchi. i slow-cooked the stew from 2pm to 8pm. around 7pm i mixed some flour with half a cup of broth to make a thickening gravy that i added to the stew. i also cooked up a cup of rotini.
the final stew was okay, but nothing spectacular. maybe i didn't add enough salt, but i try not to add too much when i cook for myself. the beef on top of the stew were a little dry and chewy, but the beef submerged in the broth were very tender. i got russet potatoes but they didn't really break down in the slow cooker. maybe next time i have to boil them first separately before adding to the stew. if nothing else, it was a very hearty meal, with chunks of beef, potatoes, and pasta.
while standing in the kitchen i discovered a major source of draft inside my house: the gap below the baseboards on the eastern side of the kitchen. i measured it with m temperature gun, in the worst areas there's as much as a 10° difference. tomorrow's project will be to get some clear caulk and fill in the gaps.