Tangy Beef and Vegetable Stew
Everytime I serve this I get asked for the recipe. Originally from Country Woman.
Everytime I serve this I get asked for the recipe. Originally from Country Woman.
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 3 cups boiling water
- 4 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
- 2 cups corn frozen
- 6 cups potato cubed, peeled, half-inche pieces
- 8 medium carrots cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 medium onions cubed
- 4 pound beef stew meat cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons horseradish
- 3 tablespoons mustard
- 2 cups peas frozen
- 2 cups mushrooms sliced, fresh
- Carbohydrate 34.3042473866811 g
- Cholesterol 99.9103214 mg
- Fat 32.6974829759826 g
- Fiber 5.43980348130201 g
- Protein 33.5603313005473 g
- Saturated Fat 11.0957239846507 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (407g)
- Sodium 492.867791018576 mg
- Sugar 28.8644439053791 g
- Trans Fat 3.7124085076904 g
- Calories 564 calories
Step-by-step
- Place the potatoes, carrots and onions in a 6-qt. slow cooker. In a large skillet, brown beef in oil, a single layer at a time; place over the vegetables. Sprinkle with flour.
- Dissolve bouillon in boiling water. Stir in the vinegar, ketchup, horseradish, mustard and sugar; pour over meat and vegetables. Cover and cook on high for 5 hours.
- Add the peas, corn and mushrooms. Cover and cook on high for 45 minutes longer or until meat and vegetables are tender.
Pouring white vinegar and ketchup directly over raw flour and searing beef creates a distinct chemical tension that defines this long-simmering dish. Acidity slows down the breakdown of pectin in vegetables, meaning acidic liquids added too early will leave root vegetables permanently firm. Dissolving four teaspoons of beef bouillon granules into three boiling cups creates a saline base, while the sugar balances the sharp bite of three tablespoons of prepared horseradish and pungent mustard. Browning four pounds of stew meat in canola oil across multiple batches prevents the pan temperature from dropping, which would otherwise cause the meat to steam rather than brown.
Staggering the cooking times preserves texture without sacrificing depth. Hard root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and onions require five full hours on high heat in a six-quart slow cooker before softening properly. Delicate items like frozen peas, corn, and sliced fresh mushrooms introduced during the final forty-five minutes retain their distinct structural integrity rather than dissolving into mush. Sprinkling all-purpose flour directly over the browned meat acts as a thickening agent, gelatinizing starches as the surrounding liquid reaches a simmer over the extended cooking period.
Swapping white vinegar for apple cider vinegar alters the fruitiness of the broth without modifying the core pH level of 3.2 to 3.6 required for this flavor profile. Storage in an airtight container for up to four days allows starches to fully retrograde, yielding a thicker consistency upon reheating.
