Recipe | Beef Stew

I have always loved eating ever since I was a kid (my late father said they never had problems feeding me), but I wasn't really into cooking and recipe collecting until a few years ago. In our family, it is my parents and my brother who would really cut recipes from newspapers and magazines and compile them together. I am not really much into cook books as I always try out recipes from different culinary magazines.



Last month, I got myself a copy of "Journal for Cooks and Foodies" by the Maya Kitchen. It features more than 180 recipes - ranging from snacks, appetizers, main courses, and desserts. What makes this a very unique cook book is that it also doubles as a journal, which has spaces for your own notes - maybe about the printed recipe or to write down an interesting recipe you watched on television. What differs this from a regular journal is that there isn't a year printed, so this journal can be bought and given any particular time of the year.

Published by Anvil Publishing, this journal is available nationwide in National Bookstore, Bestseller, and Powerbooks outlets. If you would like to know more information on how to get your copy, you can check the Maya Kitchen's website - www.themayakitchen.com - or e-mail them through contactus@themayakitchen.com.

There are so many recipes I'd like to try, but earlier this month we had some beef (we rarely buy beef in this household), so I went to go for this recipe:


Beef Stew
4 - 6 Servings

Ingredients:

• 6 strips bacon
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium sized onions, sliced
• 3/4 kilo beef (round steak or boneless chuck), cubed or sliced julienned
• 3 tablespoons Maya All-Purpose Flour
• 1 cup water or beef broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 medium sized potatoes, cubed
• 1 carrot, cubed
• 1 cup celery, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon vinegar

How to Cook:

• In a skillet, fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon then chop.
• In the bacon fat, saute the garlic and onions. Add beef and cook until browned. 
• Add flour and stir-fry to coat the beef. Add water, bay leaf, brown sugar, thyme, and seasonings. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until beef is tender.
• Add the vegetables and continue cooking until done. Remove bay leaf and stir in the vinegar. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat.
• Top with chopped fried bacon.

Yep, I know one key ingredient is missing on my dish - the celery. Well, I honestly forgot to buy some the day I cooked this; I couldn't postpone cooking this dish because I got nothing else to cook / serve for that dinner, and since my family isn't really into celery, this dish was still appreciated by the family.

It tasted like Salisbury Steak with a hint of Adobo (because of the vinegar). It was an interesting dish I'd cook again, but the next time I cook this, I'd really add in the celery because I do love the taste of celery. :)

Happy Friday!