Beef stew, I love it. But I never order it in restaurants because it’s never as good as my grandmother made.

Whatever her secret was, she took it to her grave. In the short time I lived with my grandparents while I went through further education to ensure I got the role I wanted in the military, I became accustomed to home cooking only that generation seem capable of. And the best thing my Nan used to cook for me was her beef stew. The meat was so tender and the vegetables so fresh. Nothing in a restaurant today can compare. It either tastes too bland or too watery.

Does your family have a certain dish that they completely own?

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4meAndyou · F

The secret to a really GREAT beef stew is chuck beef. NEVER round beef. It has to be oiled a tiny bit, and coated with flour, and then browned on all sides in a hot, hot, skillet, VERY quickly, then removed from the pan. Water has to be added to the skillet and the brown bits scraped up.

Put the beef, the pan scrapings, and water to cover in a dutch oven and simmer on low, low heat for about 2 hours. Then add your veggies, which have been cooked in a separate pan. If you like, you can add a little bit of beer or a little bit of wine, along with chopped parsley, salt, and pepper. Stew the meat and the veggies together for another hour to blend the flavors, and if the gravy seems too thin, mix 1/2 cup of water with 3 Tablespoons of flour till it forms a paste, and add hot stew liquid to it a little bit at a time, stirring constantly, till you have a full cup of liquid. THEN you can add the flour and water all at once to the pot, stir, and within 10 minutes you will have a nice thick gravy.