For Jordan

The most wonderful thing about moving to DC has been that I get to see one of my dearest friends at least once a week. This past Saturday, Jordan and I spent most of the day together eating and chatting, and drinking red wine...at lunch. Scratch that, she had a $12 beer. Words cannot describe how thankful I am to live near her!

Because Jamie can't eat chicken and is iffy on seafood Jordan is in need of red meat ideas; hence the title of this post. I've been meaning to write down the recipe for ages (instead of just winging it, in true Rhonda Mapes fashion) and I finally got my act together, although my measurements are still a little vague...

Beef and Mushroom Stew (2-3 servings)

salt and pepper
3-4 tbsp. all purpose flour
1 lb. (ish) stew meat
1/3 white onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup red wine
1/8 cup soy sauce
4 oz. sliced white mushrooms (I think... I used half a standard package of whole mushrooms from TJ's)

Put stew meat in a ziploc bag with salt and pepper to taste (several shakes of each). Add flour one spoon at a time and shake until all the meat seems to be evenly coated. Place meat in slow cooker and use your hands to separate the pieces; add more flour, or salt and pepper if the meat looks too bare in places, or until it looks something like this:


Sorry, I'm sort of regretting posting that photo but I feel like it's somewhat necessary. Add the water, wine, soy sauce, onion, and garlic and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 4 hours. 10 minutes before serving, saute the mushrooms briefly in butter, red wine and soy sauce and add them (without juices) to the slow cooker. Serve this stew with mashed potatoes, or maybe white rice (it kinda sucked with brown). Note: this recipe is mushroom heavy because I'm slightly obsessed... if I was making it for a non-mushroom lover (read: Nathan Lockett) then I would probably cut that amount, and maybe reduce the liquids slightly.

Totally not a typical Gwynne meal, but delicious all the same!