Originally Posted By: Christina
Oh that beef stew looks so good! Could you please post or PM me the recipe?


Well, I don't have a recipe exactly, it comes out a little different everytime we make it. It's lots of vege's; potato, carrots, peppers, and onions, along with some small chunks of stew beef from our local butcher (he donates it whenever we ask for the Scouts, nice guy), and various seasonings. I know that one of my ASM's actually wrote down a recipe once, but, we usually just wing it.

You have to sear the beef first, quick and easy in a very hot cast iron pan over the fire. Then it's ready to go in the Dutch oven. You cover the beef with the vegetables, all cut up into bite sized pieces. Add some water, olive oil, salt, pepper, italian seasoning, garlic, and a couple beef boulion cubes and you're in business. That stage is about when the picture was taken. Put the Dutch Oven on the coals, add a few to the top, and wait. After it's cooked for a while, you'll start to smell the most awesome aroma leaking out around the cover, (you'll have to check it until you get used to how fast/slow your oven and coals are cooking things) you add some flour/water mixed up in a rue (that's what one of the mom's told me it's called, I just call it the flour/water thickener goop). Another 15 or 20 minutes after the flour goes in, and you're ready to serve. You can make a spicy version by replacing the beef with some form of spicy sausage. We use Portuguese Chourico, it's got some kick to it!

I wish I had a picture of what it looked like when it's done and the gravy is thickened. Unfortunately, you only got the "before" shot, because once it was done, there were ladles flying and mess kit bowls being filled with this stuff. It goes well with some cornbread that we cook in the cast iron skillet mentioned earlier for browning the beef. You cook the cornbread like a cake over the fire, and it's to die for with the stew, or even better, with chili. Ok, now I'm getting hungry again.
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- Ron