Rainy Day Stew Helps Chase the Blues Away.

It’s been a tough couple of weeks, with cold rain leading most forecasts.

All of us would like to be anywhere but in the rain zone. There are really only a few things that help us get through this sort of weather. A plane ticket or comfort food. Since we don’t have a plane ticket, let’s talk about comfort food.

There’s nothing like a warming, hot stew or casserole on a rainy night. It doesn’t have to be complicated. It's something you can share with others—in case you know somebody who needs a lift, there’s really nothing as nice as a hot, homemade meal or shared among friends, family or neighbors.

Even if you don’t want to go to the grocery, there might be opportunities for a superb comfort food meal right in your pantry. Remember, the idea here is to make something hot and warming that reminds everyone of better times.
For most of us, that might be a childhood recipe or one from a happy place.

So, from you might dream about the same things I do. How about a steaming bowl of rich beef stew and a pan of golden brown buttermilk biscuits fresh from the oven, with a stick of butter and honey on the side?

For my escape, I will be making a dark, rich stew—with whatever vegetables the pantry and fridge yield. I’ll start with some good beef or lamb. If you’d like to join me, remember, you can change this to your own comfort stew just by adding what you like—and what you have, especially in the vegetable department. In fact, you can even leave out the meat—just add more hearty vegetables and use a roux to thicken it.

Easy Way Beef or Lamb Stew

2 lbs. beef or lamb, fat trimmed away
1 cup red wine
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup flour
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
1 /4 cup olive oil
2 onions
1 large carrot
1 stalk celery
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 cup sliced zucchini
1 cup chopped tomatoes
4 to 6 cups beef stock
2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. chopped dried rosemary
1 tsp. dried oregano

First, cut the beef into cubes. Place them in a bowl and toss with the wine and garlic. Let this sit while you assemble the rest of the ingredients. Roughly chop the onions, carrot celery together. Put the flour, salt pepper in a large bag. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven Drain the beef, reserving the wine and garlic. Toss the beef with the flour mixture in the bag. Remove the meat from the bag and brown it in the olive oil, stirring to be sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove the beef from the pan, reserving it on a plate. To the drippings in the pan add the chopped celery, onions and carrots. Cook them until the onions are translucent, add the mushrooms and sauté them until they are golden. Add the beef back in, stir in the wine, zucchini tomatoes. Add enough stock to just cover the beef and simmer for about an hour over low heat (or until the meat is tender and the sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking. Stir in the spices, cook for another five minutes. Serve hot with crusty French bread or homemade biscuits.