I love beef stew, especially this time of year, and I love making it in the crock pot. The two naturally go together very well, especially if you use beef stew meat that does best with the “low and slow” method of cooking (which most stew meats do!).

I found the basis for this recipe in a magazine, but it used only pre-packaged and frozen ingredients. While I still wanted to try it out, I knew my family and I would like it better with at least fresh vegetables (carrots and potatoes) instead of the two bags of frozen vegetables called …read more

For this week’s Signature Saturdays, I’m sharing a popular dish that has one too many versions among the Vietnamese. This version in particular is taken from Andrea Nguyen’s book, Into the Vietnamese Kitchen:
Bo Kho (Beef Stewed with Tomato, Star Anise and Lemongrass) 
Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless beef chuck, well trimmed and cut into 1½ -inch chunks
1 hefty stalk lemongrass, loose leaves discarded, cut into 3-inch lengths and bruised with the broad side of a cleaver or chef’s knife
3 tbsps fish sauce
1½ tsps Chinese five-spice powder
2½ tbsps peeled and minced fresh ginger
1½ tsps brown sugar
1 bay leaf
3 tbsps canola oil
1 yellow onion, finely …read more

My mom emailed last week to let us know how they spent All Souls’ Day over the weekend. Nov 02 is observed as a public holiday in the Philippines. It is a Roman Catholic celebration for remembering and praying for the departed. This is the second year that I’ll miss going to the cemetery with my family. The scene would always be like a big picnic reunion where we meet with our relatives to pray for our departed loved ones, eat lunch and catch up. Every year, my mom prepares her much-loved Mechado to the potluck lunch. I have tried …read more

We journey to Central Asia this week to try out some Afghani dishes. First up is this beef and vegetable stew. From

It would have been interesting and educational to try Afghanistan’s teapot soup, which according to Helen Saberi, is the most traditional and the most unusual. It is prepared in broken teapots that have been repaired by a patragar (person who mends). Our 8-year-old chose this one instead, I suppose because it looked like something familiar to him.
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onions
1 lb. meat on the bone (I used meaty beef shanks)
1 cup chopped …read more

This dish isn’t that different from regular American beef stew, except some ingredients common to Filipino cooking are used.
3 pounds chuck roast, cut into cubes (or leave whole but tie the roast)
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
cornstarch for coating beef, optional
1/4 cup canola or other cooking oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
3 large cloves garlic, crushed
5 cups water
3 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 16-oz package frozen green beans
3 large potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons corn starch
5 tablespoons water
Sprinkle chuck roast with the soy sauce and …read more