Thursday, July 03, 2008

"No peeky" stew

I cook by evolution. Seldom use recipes. Heck, I've been cooking for so long, I just do it from memory. "No peeky" stew was one of the kid's favorite recipes (and cheap to make) so it was part of the repetoir. It started out as a basic beef stew - you know the drill, potatoes, carrots, and stew meat. It has evolved.
I have had an experiment going on - it seems I've just been going to the store, buying food and sticking the appropriate food in the freezer. I decided about a month ago, to NOT buy anything and use up what was in there. I found this stew meat and some raspberries - no the raspberries didn't go in the stew!
The name "no peeky" came from the fact that I would tell the kids "no peeking" so they wouldn't lift the lid to look in the pot and subsequently it became "no peeky" stew. I've tried to make it here a few times but my stove's burners wouldn't be low enough and the stew was never just right. I finally broke down and bought a crock pot and yesterday, since the weather was so cool, it seemed the perfect time to just try, one more time! I'm happy to report it was perfect! And accompanying it was cornbread. YUM.
So here goes, in the pot, put stew meat after you have tenderized it and peppered it well, then add, cut up potatoes, carrots, celery, onion and whatever else seems appropriate - then add a small can of tomato sauce, 2 T tapioca and a cup of water, and a packet of onion soup mix (a recent addition to this recipe).....season again with whatever, and cook. Toward the end of cooking it (about 5 hours) add a few dribbles of Kitchen Bouquet to color the gravy. Sometimes, in the past, I've served all of this over rice .
Now I must say, while this is cooking, especially the last couple of hours, it is hard NOT to lift the lid, but it does best if you limit the amount of times you do so.........
The raspberries were used to make a raspberry cobbler. I did find the recipe in this month's Southern Living and I think I'll try it rather then my tried and true cobbler recipe..........

8 comments:

Theresa in Mèrida said...

Babs, I never could get my burners low enough and finally I found out (after several years)that the low is opposite of where I thought it should be! If set the knob at 9 o'clock to ignite then you turn counterclockwise to 6o'clock for medium, low is clockwise from 9o'clock towards off! But so you crock pot doesn't go unused check out this website Called a Year of Using the Crockpot http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/
regards,
Theresa

ps I love beef stew!

Anonymous said...

What, no pressure cooker? Every Mexican kitchen has one. Well, at least in areas with altitude.

Babs said...

Thaks Theresa I'll check out the crockpot blog.....I know how to turn the flame but mine still is not low enough.........AND NO Jennifer no pressure cooker - when I was a little girl in Chicago, one blew up in our house and I have NEVER owned one.........

Islagringo said...

You and Billie and Theresa! You're always cooking up something good! Around here, we make curry crockpot stew. Well, I use the term "we" euphamistically since I hate to cook and am no good at it at all. Love to eat though!

Babs said...

Wayne, I LOVE to cook but I can't cook little amounts. I'm so used to cooking for three kids plus all their friends that 10 is what I'm used to (my house was always the hang out)........so then I have to freeze food cause I can only eat something for a couple of days and then I don't want to see it again! BUT I'm not a "fancy" cook like Billie - btw, I'll be at her house for the 4th having a wienie roast! and whatever else she creates! YUM

Anonymous said...

Babs, you've got to learn to live on the edge. Pressure cookers are fun, cheap and easy. There've been great advances made in the world of pressure cookers since your salad days, and the new models take pressure cooking beyond the old Mirro and Presto days. They even have locks which prevent the user from opening them until it's perfectly safe. Why, I bet Billie has one.

Babs said...

Well Jennifer, sorry to disappoint you but I've lived on my last "edge".......I've lasted mumble-something years without having a pressure cooker so I think I'll just go merrily along......I'll ask Billie this evening if she has one......then, if ever, I can borrow hers, ha!

picklesandroses.blogspot.com said...

I make something so very similar and add a bay leaf. How you have managed without a crock pot up until now I'll never know...I love mine!