Real Stew!! French County Stew

I used to think that eating a bowl of stew was far too substantial! That's food, REAL food. Until I began to think of the way my very thin great grandparents ate. They had breakfast, real breakfast and then they went about their morning. At noon, they had lunch (they called it dinner) and went about the rest of their day. At dinner time (supper for them) they had their evening meal consisting of real food and called it good. They didn't do the eat all day long thing snacking here and there and everywhere. Their tummies actually got empty the way a tummy is designed to do. They looked forward to their next meal because they were actually ready for it. They hadn't stuffed themselves with snacks and cookies and energy bars to keep their energy up (and that doesn't work, btw). Real food does just fine keeping your energy up.

I put this stew in my crock pot at noon today. I love crock pot cooking because when I get home from work dinner is waiting making the house smell homey and welcoming. Usually I do the prep work in the morning before I leave for work but today I came home to check and see if my husband and his new carpal tunnel surgery arm needed anything and, since he was doing just fine, I put this together for our supper. Considering I was very limited by time, it had to be a pretty quick project and it was.

Ingredient list - (organic, locally grown as much as possible)

1/4 pound bacon

1 pound of stew meat (grass fed, locally grown if possible)

3 tablespoons of flour

About a dozen or so small baby potatoes or two large baking potatoes scrubbed (peeled if they aren't organic) and cut into 2 inch chunks

6 organic carrots cut into chunks

1 thinly sliced large onion

1 large jar of button mushrooms drained

1 cup of red cooking wine

1 can of vegetable broth

2 beef bouillon cubes 

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup arrowroot

1/2 cup water

frozen peas

Fry the bacon keeping the "drubbins" in the skillet as in keep the drippings, you'll need them.

While the bacon is cooking dredge the stew meat in the flour and scrub and prepare the vegetables. Lay the sliced onion on the bottom of the crock pot. Remove the bacon to paper towels and brown the garlic and the stew meat in the bacon drippings. Place the browned meat and garlic in the crock pot and pour the red wine in the skillet to utilize the flavors of the drippings. Put the vegetables (except the peas) in the crock pot, scrape the meat and bacon bits out of the skillet with the wine and pour the wine and meat drubbins concoction over the vegetables. Add the jar of mushrooms, the can of broth and the bouillon cubes and the bay leaf. Crumble up the bacon and put it in there, too and add some freshly ground black pepper. Depending on how soon you need it to be done (I put mine on 6 hours) turn your crock pot on and let it cook. 

Fast forward five hours, arrive home from work and the house smelled wonderful, my husband was relaxing in his recliner and hadn't had to lift a finger (which was good 'cause he can't) and there was a welcoming pot full of a really nice french country stew that was almost complete. A few minutes before serving stir in the arrowroot dissolved in the 1/2 cup of water and let  it cook until it thickens (won't take long). Right before serving stir in a few frozen peas. Side the stew with a biscuit made from whole grain flours and a bit of real butter (no margarine...chemicals, chemicals, chemicals!). Include a salad if you like and some fresh fruit for dessert. I'll be making this one again!