Beef Stew-pendous

Prep Time: 15 miutes

Cook Time: 3-4 hours

Serving Size: 8-12

4 lbs. Beef Stew Meat, cut up into med/small chunks

1/2 cup Worcestershire

1/2 cup Italian dressing

2 tablespoons Morton Season-All 

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

2 packs McCormick Beef Stew Seasoning

Roux : (1 cup each flour and Canola cooking oil)

2 large Onions, diced

½ cup Shallots, chopped (green onions/scallions) 

¼ cup Celery, chopped 

1 each Red, Yellow, and Orange sweet peppers, chopped

10 oz. can Hunt’s Fire Roasted Tomatoes

1 large can sliced Mushrooms 

1 can (14 oz.) Beef stock/broth 

4 medium Turnips (peeled and cubed), may substitute with potatoes  

½ cup chopped Carrots

1 quart Water

Coat meat in Worcestershire, Italian dressing, and Season-All, then brown in a large skillet with olive oil over medium heat.

Pre-mix both packs of McCormick with 1 cup boiling water, then pour over meat and bring heat down to low to continue cooking, while making Roux in separate vessel.

Mix oil and flour in an 8 qt. Dutch oven using Roux spoon or small wooden paddle.

On med/low fire, brown Roux to a dark chocolate color. 

Blend in onions, shallots and celery to Roux and sauté 15 minutes.

Add meat from skillet into main cooking vessel. Add in mushrooms and broth along with about ½ the remaining water. Add in tomatoes, turnips, carrots and peppers; then cover and simmer on very low heat 2 hrs. 

Stir up every 15 min. adding a couple of ounces of water at a time as needed. (Stew should be thick enough so stirring spoon can stand on it’s own, but thin enough so it doesn’t stick/scorch to bottom of pot. Actual consistency is to preference.) 

Serve over cooked rice, noodles or cut-up French bread.

Side with Potato Salad and halved boiled eggs. 

Submitted By: Anthony Guidry, EMT-Paramedic

Louisiana, USA

Contest: Nationwide EMT