5 spice beef stew

A frequent question comes up during the winter time.   Many come up here to ski on the week-ends and don’t want to spend tons of time preparing an evening meal.   Well here’s a great solution.   Use a crock-pot or a slow oven.   You can do a portion of the cooking in a crock-pot, and when you get back from skiing you can finish it off.   Or, you can just take your meal directly out of the oven.   How easy is that?   And, to avoid that “same taste” crock cooking,  here’s a recipe suggestion:

• 5-spice Beef Stew.   Stews are great for the winter.   You can prepare this dish the night before or the morning before you go skiing.
  • 1-lb. of cubed beef for stewing
  • Flour for dusting
  • Stock (beef, chicken, tomato sauce) 8-oz can plus 1 can water
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Oil for browning (about 2-3 tablespoons)
  • 1-small chopped onion
  • 1-tsp minced garlic
  • 2-tablespoons of five-spice-powder
  • 1-tbsp brown sugar
  • Your choice of assorted Vegetables (carrots, potatoes, peas, cabbage, string beans etc.)

  Lightly flour and salt and pepper beef. Brown the meat in a skillet with about 2-3 tbsp of oil.   Make sure the meat is nice and seared.  Once browned, transfer them to a crock pot.  Chop a small whole onion and garlic.  Add liquid (beef stock, tomato sauce, chicken stock, fresh tomatoes) enough to cover the meat, add the onions and garlic.  Put 2-tbsps of 5-spice powder (available in the Asian section of Safeway or Albertsons), sugar and mix with the beef put it on low to slow cook while you are out skiing.  If you’re doing it the night before, refrigerate the browned beef in the crock pot and add the liquids the following morning.  Note:  The flour used to coat the beef will thicken the sauce and give it a nice nutty flavor.

  The trick is, you want to finish off this dish when you come back from skiing.  After you’ve rested and had enough wine or libations to replenish all that lost body fluid, transfer the stew to a regular pot.  Simply cut up some of your favorite vegetables (e.g., carrots, potatoes, cabbage etc.) and cook until the vegetables are al-dente and serve over rice or noodles, or alone with a side of nice crusty bread.  Adjust salt/pepper if needed.

  The trick here is that the 5-spice adds a nice flavor differentiating it from that “crock-pot” taste, and the vegetables are not cooked with the meats, but cooked later so you have that nice al-dente texture.  You’ll be amazed how tasty this dish is and how moist and tender the meat is.

Another tip/trick is to use a slow oven (200-250 degrees).