"beef" stew

last winter i was dreaming of beef stew. this wasn't something that i had too often as a kid, when i still ate meat. but when i did have it, i loved it! those soft carrots, the gravy, even the beef! so, when i started thinking of stew, i checked out some vegetarian stew recipes. they all were a bit complicated and/or used tofu, which i think would just ruin the whole idea. i wanted it to be as authentic as possible, not some watered down version. so, i made up my own recipe and although it has slightly evolved, it was a winner from day one.

the "meat" source is what has changed most over time and now i think i am set on using seitan, especially since i am the master seitan maker now. bee even says that it's one of the things that she likes best about me. i have used some "beef" fake meat stuff that they have in the freezer at the grocery store. that is actually the tastiest and most authentic product, but it's pretty expensive. the homemade seitan is about a dollar a pound, so you can't beat that.

the basic recipe is this:

"beef" stew

one onion, chopped 

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

4 large carrots, chopped pretty big

6 celery stalks, chopped

3 small potatoes, cubed

olive oil

butter (or vegan butter to make it vegan)

half a package of mushrooms, chopped

2 tablespons soy sauce

3-4 tablespoons flour

salt to taste

about 2 cups of chopped seitan 

3 bay leaves

one box of vegetable broth

in a large pot, start sauteing the onion, garlic, carrots, celery and  potatoes in oil, covered. add a bit of broth if it starts sticking or needs a little more steam.

in a separate frying pan, melt butter and fry mushrooms with a little salt. when the mushrooms are cooked pretty well, add about a cup of broth. let it reduce down for a minute and then strain out the mushrooms and put them in with the other vegetables. 

add the soy sauce to the mushroom broth and then the flour. wisk the flour to make a gravy. 

once the vegetables are soft, add the gravy, bay leaves, remaining broth and seitan to the big pot. 

let the whole thing simmer for about 20 minutes to reduce down a bit.

the stew is best after it sits for a bit. i like to make it in the afternoon and then have it for dinner, but it is even better the next day.

i should note that this is also a meal that the whole family enjoys and that is really a huge thing for me right now. i am proud when my kids eat things like this, but it is also just so cute to see that tiny bowl and spoon filled with real people food!