Thick and Hearty Beef Stew

There is nothing in this world like a rich, beefy stew on a cold winters day!  It's one of those comfort foods that you just can't get away from. It's kind of like your grandmother ingrained it in your mother that stew was the only food that would warm you up, like your favorite quilt.  At any rate, I wanted to share with you my version of beef stew...with a twist.  I tried our Cherry Cider in it and it was simply amazing - just a touch of sweetness to enhance the beef flavor.  It's kinda the same idea when you add brown sugar to hamburger to caramelize and awaken the flavor.  I am so pleased with the result, that it will be a mainstay in my recipe- I  hope you like it too!
Beef Stew
2 Tbl. canola oil
2 lbs. stew beef, cut into 1 1/2 chunks
4 cloves of fresh garlic, 3 left whole and 1 minced
1 medium onion, cut into slivers
8 pearl onions, peeled and left whole
3 Tbl. flour
1 Tbl. Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 Bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp. Thyme
3 rounded tsp. of Better than Bouillon Beef Base
3 cups warm water
1 cup Cherry Cider
1 cup celery, cut into chunky slices
1 1/2 cups carrots, cut into 1/2 - 3/4 inch chunks 
2 cups potatoes, 3/4 inch chunks
8 large sized white button or crimini type mushrooms, sliced in half
Saute the beef chunks in oil in a dutch oven pot on the stove until browned on the outside.  Remove from pot and set aside.  Add the sliced onions, whole pearl onions, whole garlic, and sliced mushrooms and brown in the meat drippings until caramelized brown.  Add the crushed clove of garlic and stir for 1 minute more.  I like to add some of the cider at this point and stir into the saute process with the onion mix.  It helps with the carmelization step, plus it smells heavenly!  Add the browned beef chunks back into the pot and toss with the Worcestershire sauce.  Salt and pepper to your liking- I prefer the fresh ground because it just tastes better.  Scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen up the cooked-on meat and onion scrapings- they add a lot of richness to the stew. Toss in the flour with all this goodness, until well coated; take off the burner.  Make your beef base with the 3 cups of warm water and stir into the pot.  Season with the Thyme and add the Bay leaf.  Pour in the rest of your cup of cider, and add the chunked celery and carrots.  Don't add the potatoes until the last hour of baking.  Stir and cover with dutch oven lid and place into a 350 degree oven and bake for 3-4 hours. 
During the last hour, carefully open the dutch oven lid and check the gravy amount. You might have to add a bit more water if it is absorbed out, but be careful because you want your stew to be thick. (You could add some more cider, but you need to taste it to see if the sweetness is to your liking).  Carefully stir in the additional liquid if needed, so as not to break up too much of the stew beef or carrots.  Also add the potatoes at this point and return the pot back into the oven for the last hour.  Remove the bay leaf and serve this gorgeous stew in some fun bowls with a crusty slice of french bread.  Then sit down, put your feet up and enjoy this heart-warming bit of heaven.                     Guaranteed to satisfy! 

Curried Butternut Squash Bisque

I couldn't resist, so I dove into trying out another soup recipe for you!  If you love curry, and you love squash, you'll really like this soup because it adds the best of both worlds! 
My daughter cooks a lot of authentic Asian dishes, and she mixed up some amazing Red Curry for me to try out with recipes.  Well, I get weak in the knees for Red Curry dishes, so I just had to do some more experimenting with our cider!  Now the bottled "store bought" Red Curry works fine, but if you want an amazing awakening to your taste buds, try your hand at making homemade- it truly is far superior to the stuff on the grocery shelf!  Anyway, my creative cooking thoughts started into play and I began thinking of ways I could use one of my favorite fall treats...butternut squash.  Pumpkin bars & pumpkin roll immediately jumped into my mind, but I couldn't resist creating something new and different!  I decided to try out a Squash Bisque and dabble using it with our cider.  The finished product was superb...so here it is for you-  I hope you like it!
Curried Butternut Squash Bisque
(2) 2 lb. butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
2 tsp. olive oil
2 Tbl. butter
1 cup finely chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped and peeled apple
1-2 tsp. Thai red curry paste (no more than 2 tsp. or it will be too strong)
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup Dry Cider
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup whipping cream or half-n-half
6 Tbl. sour cream
Chopped fresh cilantro
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and brush the cut side of your cleaned squash with olive oil.  Place squash, cut side down, on baking sheet and roast until tender, about and hour.  (test with a fork to see if it slides in easily)  Cool slightly and then scoop into a large bowl.  Measure out 3 cups squash, and reserve the rest for some yummy pumpkin bars for dessert!  Melt your butter in a large pot on medium-high heat.  Add onion, carrots and apple; saute for 5 minutes.  Add your delightful curry paste and stir for 2 minutes until well blended.  Add the chicken broth, bay leaves and the 3 cups of squash.  Bring to a boil and then reduce and simmer uncovered for an hour.  Remember to discard the bay leaves before you go onto the next step.  If you are lucky enough to own a wonderful  Blendtec or Vitamix, you'll be pureeing the soup in the blender until smooth- be careful because the soup is hot!  Return back to the pot and stir in the cream.  Season with salt and pepper.  Re-warm over medium heat til heated through.  Divide soup among 8 bowls and drizzle with sour cream; garnish with cilantro.  Be prepared to be delighted!