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Beef Stew

In a beefy mood, I made a beef stew in the French style with a wine marinade. My stew, however, included a more complete set of vegetables in the style of my Mom.

A little bacon adds fat and flavor.

I sweated an onion.

The beef, bacon, and onions went into the cast iron skillet for browning.

Some tomato paste went into the skillet for carmelization.

I put together a sachet d'epices for flavor.

Everything went into the slow cooker for a few hours.

After the beef had cooked for a few hours, I put together somevegetables: okra, zucchini, carrot, and celery. Adding them later keeps them from cooking too long and losing their flavor. The okra helps to thicken the stew.

A little later, I added green beans.

Corn was the last entry.

The result hit two good spots: meaty from the beef and pork; filling from the vegetables.

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