No need to wait until SuperBowl Sunday. This stew simmers for a nice long six hours; the intoxicating aroma will have everybody hovering over the stove.

1 1/2 lbs. beef stew cut into cubes
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt
3 Tbs. butter
28 oz. can of chopped tomatoes
30 oz. of tomato juice (I use Campbell’s Organic)
7 stalks celery, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
2 medium onions, peeled & chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled & diced
2 potatos, peeled & chunked
1/2 of a bag of frozen okra
1 Tbsp. Better Than Bouillon OR 3 beef bouillon cubes
3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Sprinklings of cracked black pepper
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. dried thyme
4 Tbsp. barley or orzo pasta

Place the beef on a plate and sprinkle on the white pepper and salt, rub in all over the cubes. Set aside while you get out a soup pot or dutch oven; place the butter in and melt over medium heat. Put meat into the pot and brown on both sides - 5 minutes each side.

Add everything else to the pot except the orzo if using - (If you simmer orzo for 6 hours it will be mush). Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer and partially cover. Check and stir during the 6 hours, adding water as needed - depends on how thick you want it.

If using orzo pasta, add it the last hour.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 18th, 2008 at 12:01 am and is filed under Soups & Stews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.