Winter Solstice Stew!

Winter Solstice Stew!!

Ingredients:

2 lbs Stew Beef or roast cut into 1” pieces

2 Tablespoons flour

2 teaspoons Montreal steak seasoning

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 celery ribs, chopped

2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1 1/2” pieces

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2” pieces (I add extra!)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 can diced tomatoes (I cut up my own)

1 cup dry red wine or beef broth

2 bay leaves

2 fresh oregano sprigs

1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350*. Toss beef with flour and steak seasoning

  2. In ovenproof Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat, brown beef and remove from pot.

  3. In same pot, heat rest of oil over medium heat. Add onion, celery, parsnips, and carrots. Stir and cook until onions tender. Add garlic and cook for 1 min longer. Stir in tomatoes, wine, bay leaves, oregano, and beef. Bring to boil.

  4. Bake covered for 90 mins. Stir in beans and bake covered for another 30 miins.

  5. Enjoy!!

RecipesTimothy CraverComment
Osso Bucco-Braised Beef Shanks Recipe

Ingredients:

Beef shanks – cut into 3-4 inch pieces.

Butter – for frying and flavor

Minced garlic – adds fragrance and is a must in this dish.

Large white onion – sliced into rings.

Carrots – chopped.

Dry white wine – you can use chicken stock to deglaze the pan instead if you don’t want wine

Diced tomatoes

Beef stock

Salt and pepper

How To Cook:

  1. Dredge the beef shanks through the flour and coat it (skip this if you’re low-carb).

  2. Melt the butter in a large oven-safe braising pan over medium to medium-high heat.

  3. Fry the beef shanks in the butter until browned on the outside.

  4. Remove the beef shanks to a plate. 

  5. Add the onion slices. Cook and stir until tender.

  6. Add in the garlic and the carrots. Fry until the garlic is fragrant.

  7. Pour in the white wine. Deglaze the pan. Stir in the beef broth and the tomatoes.

  8. Return the beef to the pan. Make sure the shanks are submerged in the sauce.

  9. Place the lid on top and cook the shanks in a 300 °F for 4-5 hours.

14 Tips For Cooking Grass Fed Beef
 

•Grass-fed beef is ideal at rare to medium-rare temperatures. If you prefer meat well done, cook at a low temperature in a sauce to add moisture. A slow cooker is ideal.

•Because grass-fed beef is low in fat, coat it with extra virgin olive oil or another light oil for easy browning. The oil will also prevent the meat from drying out and sticking to the cooking surface.

•Very lean cuts like New York strips and sirloin steaks can benefit from a marinade. Choose a recipe that doesn't mask the flavor of the beef but will enhance the moisture content. For safe handling, always marinate in the refrigerator.

•Never use a microwave to thaw grass-fed beef. Either thaw in the refrigerator or, for quick thawing, place the vacuum sealed package in cold water for a few minutes. Let it sit at room temperature for no more than 30 minutes. Don’t cook it cold straight from the refrigerator.

•Tenderizing breaks down tough connective tissue, so use a mechanical tenderizer like the Jaccard. It’s a small, hand-held device with little “needles” that pierce the meat and allow the marinade or rub to penetrate the surface. You can find Jaccard tenderizers at Amazon.com.

•Another way to tenderize is to coat a thawed steak with your favorite rub; put it into a plastic zipper bag; place on a solid surface; and, using a meat mallet, rolling pin, or other hard object; pound a few times. This will not only tenderize the meat, but will also incorporate the rub, adding flavor. Don't go overboard and flatten the beef unless the recipe calls for it.

•Always pre-heat the oven, pan, or grill before cooking grass-fed beef.

•Grass-fed beef cooks about 30 percent faster than grain fed beef. Use a thermometer to test for doneness and watch the temperature carefully. You can go from perfectly cooked to overdone in less than a minute. The meat will continue to cook after you remove it from the heat, so when it reaches a temperature ten degrees LOWER than the desired temperature, it’s done.

•Let the beef sit covered in a warm place for eight to 10 minutes after removing from heat to let the juices redistribute.

•Pan searing on the stove is an easy way to cook a grass-fed steak. After you’ve seared the steak over high heat, turn the heat to low and add butter and garlic to the pan to finish cooking.

•When grilling, quickly sear the meat over high heat on each side and then reduce the heat to medium or low to finish. Baste to add moisture.

•Never use a fork to turn the beef. Always use tongs.

•When grilling burgers, use caramelized onions or roasted peppers to add low-fat moisture to the meat.

•When roasting, sear the beef first to lock in the juices and then place in a pre-heated oven. Reduce the roasting temperature by 50 degrees F.

American Grassfed Association, 2011