Stew.

This recipe is really old, I don’t even remember where it came from but I think my husband found it somewhere, way before we met. It calls for beef but I used pork and chicken before. I buy bigger amount of meat and ( depending on time I have) either make a big batch of the stew and freeze portions for future dinners or freeze the meat for days when I have time to cook.

This amount lasts us for two days:

1 pound beef, pork or chicken cut into cubes,

2 tbsp flour

2 tsp oil

2 onions, thinly sliced

2 cups sliced mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, minced ( here is where my minced garlic in a jar comes handy)

2 tsp tomato paste

2 cups broth, (I use homemade broth but you can use whatever you have)

4 cups chopped carrots

2 medium potatoes, thinly sliced

1 cup 1-inch green bean pieces (I use green and yellow)

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp cold water

¼ cup chopped fresh or frozen parsley

Coat your meat with flour, in large nonstick pot heat oil over medium-high heat; add meat and sauté until browned. Place on a plate. Add onion, mushrooms to pot and sauté for about 6 minutes, add garlic: sauté stirring for 1 minute. Return meat to the pot, stir in tomato paste, then broth. Add enough water to just cover, bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, simmer until meat is tender about 1 hour, skim off any foam. Add carrots, potatoes and green beans, cover partially and simmer for 15 minutes. In a small bowl mix cornstarch and cold water, stir into the stew. Boil uncovered for about 1 minute, sprinkle with parsley.

I usually serve it with rice but it is also good with pasta or gnocchi.