Beef Stew

I know that I am a foodie because I think about food all the time, much to my husband's delight as he likes to tease me about that. I think about food in the weirdest places and moments! While doing my personal needs in the toilet or even in the middle of chatting about something important with my husband. I think about food all the time! On Tuesdays and Thursdays I usually eat lunch alone (well Thursday don't count anymore since I'm always invited at my sister's aunt's house), but you can be sure that on Monday night, I am already thinking of what dishes I could make.

The night before, I put out my pack of beef cuts in order for it to thaw completely. I started cooking at 10AM with sauteeing the beef cuts in hot oil. When it changed in color slightly, I added 3 garlic sliced thinly and one half sliced white onion. When the beef turned into a brown color and the garlic and onion became fragrant, I transferred the beef and most of the garlic and onion in a plate. The next step is to prepare the Roux. I added about a tablespoon of butter in the hot pan and let it melt and then added a couple tablespoons of flour. With a wire whisk, I made sure to mix well the butter and flour and to make sure that the flour cooks through. It will form a sort of paste. To the paste, I added half a cup of red wine and stirred well. While still stirring, let it simmer. This will let the alcohol in the wine evaporate. To this, add water (you can also use broth) and a tablespoon of tomato paste. Again, stir well. At this point, it shouldn't be a paste anymore. Season with salt and pepper generously.

Transfer back the beef cuts into the pan. It was about 10:30AM. I let it simmer slowly. At 11:00AM, I added the canned mushrooms and continued to simmer the stew and then again at 11:30AM, I added a tablespoon of fresh parsley (the meat should be tender fork at this point). At noon time, I was excited to settle down for lunch!

 Because I was making a stew, I needed to make a side dish to absorb the sauce. This was the perfect opportunity for me to try the white Thai rice I just bought. Cooking rice without a rice cooker is not something I'm used to, but I was able to pull it off nicely. The rice came out perfectly cooked and fluffy. Just the way we eat it back home in the Philippines.

I made so much of the stew and the rice that I was sure to have leftovers, but I don't mind!