Beef Stew

We had some beef that was suffering from freezer burn, and we didn't want to waste it. Coincidentally, beef was on sale, as were potatoes, so we decided to make this super easy dish that would last for days ^^

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs beef (our was a sirloin tip roast), 1" cubes
1 lb carrots, cut into 1" pieces
1 lb celery, cut into 1" pieces
1.5 lbs potatos, cut into 1" cubes
1 onion, cut into wedges
2 tbs Maggi seasoning
1 small can tomato paste
flour to thicken


Method:
Put the tomato paste into a 6-quart slow cooker. Use hot water to rinse out the can and pour the tomato juice into the cooker. Mix  so the consistency of the paste thins.
Marinade the beef in Maggi (similar to soy sauce) briefly.
Coat the beef in flour.
Throw all ingredients into the cooker.
Add water to about 2/3 up the pot. Mix well.
Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10.
If it is still too thin, add more flour and stir.
Serve alone, with bread or rice.


Comments:
You don't have to coat the meat in flour. It just helps to thicken the stew.

It helps to have the meat covered in water to prevent drying. Our pot's lid doesn't fit properly, so we've had problems with stuff drying out. Otherwise, most recipes call for the pot only being half-filled with water.

Roast typically comes in quantities much greater than 1.5 lbs. We cut some of the remainder into cubes for another day, and the rest of it is going to be a pot roast some time in the future. The meat is currently frozen; we hope to fish it out of the freezer before freezer burn sets in.

If you don't use tomato paste and instead use beef buillon for flavour, it's like Campbell's Chunky soup, only with fresh ingredients and some MSG.


Verdict:
EASY! LOVE the slow cooker. One of the best presents I have asked for thus far, and believe me, I've gotten many fabulous presents over the years, courtesy of my awesome friends ^^