Beef Stew

It's a cool, dreary, rainy day here in the south. It puts me in the mood for my beef stew! My husband absolutely loves this, being a very meat-and-potatoes kind of guy. The plus side to this dish is that it's a one pot recipe. Less dishes equals a better day, in my book.

Ingredients
1 medium sized beef chuck roast (or pre-cut stew beef, if you prefer)
2 large potatoes, diced
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp. flour
1 clove garlic, diced
3 to 4 cups water, depending on amount of meat used
olive oil
Soy sauce (optional)

Begin my cubing your meat (skip this step if using stew beef). Heat enough olive oil to easily coat the bottom of a large pot. Place meat in hot oil and lightly brown on all sides. You are NOT cooking the meat through yet, just creating flavor. Remove meat and set aside. Add diced garlic and onion. Cook around 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in flour and mix well. Put the meat back in and add enough water to cover the meat, plus 1/2 inch. Bring to a boil. Add carrots, celery, salt and pepper. Put lid on and boil for 30 minutes, occasionally adding water if needed. Add diced potatoes and cook for an additional 15 to 20 minutes.

Tips
*Cut your meat against the grain. That means if the lines in the meat run from left to right, you cut up and down. It makes the meat more tender, which is crucial to stew.
*Be careful not to burn your garlic when you're cooking it. Burnt garlic tastes like you're licking a rubber tire.
*When I say mix your flour well, I mean it. If you cut corners on this step, your stew will be lumpy. Try and get the mix as smooth as you can, but don't worry if a few stray lumps get through. They will probably boil apart.
*Be sure to put a lid on while cooking. Lids trap evaporating water, meaning you'll have to add less water while cooking.
*Stew is thick, particularly when it cools. If you think your stew is too thin WHILE HOT, you can add a tablespoon of rice flour or cornstarch, both of which thicken soups up nicely. Whatever you do, do NOT add extra regular flour to a stew once it's cooking. The flour lumps up, and you essentially have flavorless, chewy dumplings.

Good luck and good cooking!