A Heritage of Humor – Stories from my Kitchens

Post #883 Happy New Year’s Snow “Storm”

January 7, 2024 at 12:12 PM | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

I hope everyone had a good holidaze season, whatever you were celebrating, or not. Winter is a special time of year in the north because the cold and snow force people inside more than other times of the year. We’re in the middle of a “snow event” as they are now called. Storm doesn’t seem appropriate when the fall is so gentle. But it goes on for so long, and the temps are so low that it needs to be called something more than just a snowfall. So, event it is. And we’re in the middle of one. The roads are being treated and cleared regularly, and no one in my area is housebound, but there are areas where it’s more treacherous than in my neighborhood. I’ve already seen a few cars going way faster than conditions dictate, so I anticipate loss of power due to cars sliding into poles.

Right now, I’m relaxing after a rigorous morning. Got up late, almost 8am. The first half hour is dedicated to the dogs and their needs. The both love snow, so going outside to do their jobs (big and little) was more of a delight for them than it was for me. But snow makes it easier to clean up after them, so there’s that. I saw a few fat squirrels out, too. Then, they need to fed which is always a production. If there’s any leftover meat from the previous day’s dinner, they get a small portion of that with their dried dog food. Think two tablespoons at the max. So while I’m chopping that up, Bear is sitting next to me whuffing at me to hurry up, while Rosie lays on the couch or in her dog bed and goes back to sleep. Sometimes she doesn’t eat breakfast until after noon.

Once all that was done, and I’d taken my meds for my shoulder and arm, I had to bundle up again and clear off the front sidewalk. Up here in the great white north, it’s up to each city about who keeps the sidewalks clear. In Vermont, our first place, the city did it. I would usually go out and clear up after them and make sure the car wasn’t snowbound. I also made a path through the mound of plowed snow for the mailman to get through to the house. In this city, we’re responsible for the sidewalks, and we’re supposed to do them as early as possible (although I have noticed some people who never clear their walks.) The house came with snow shovels of various types (I bet you didn’t know there were different shovels for different snow types, did you?) so we didn’t have to get any. Right now, the all-purpose one has a home on the front porch. We also have a large bucket of pet-friendly ice melt. I love this stuff. You spread a layer on the cleared sidewalk, or low snow sidewalk, and the snow magically disappears. And it stays away for quite a long time.

I have about thirty feet of sidewalk to clear, plus four feet of walkway to the house, and the 4×7 patch of concrete of the driveway that enters the street. We always park in the driveway edged right against the sidewalk so we don’t have to shovel any of the driveway. It takes me no more than twenty minutes to clear when the snow is as light as it was today.

That’s what we ended up with. The snow is still coming down lightly, so I’ll have to get out again and clear it later on. Partner/Spouse helped out and spread the ice melt on all that I’d cleared, and ordered donuts to be delivered when I was done!

So this is a food blog, right? What the hell am I doing writing about snow and shovels and sidewalks and ice melt? Because on a cold day with snow falling and a day that starts with physical activity, what do you do about the main meal for the day? You want something heartening, and warming, and soothing, and easy to make. For what we have in the house, that means a stew of some kind. What better stew than Beef and Onion stew?

I’ve written about Beef and Onion stew a few times in this blog, but it bears repeating. It’s deceptively simple. It doesn’t take a lot of work, and the depth of flavor is amazing. It’s a long, slow cook, and there are many ways to do that. You can put it in the oven on a low temp like an Irish Coddle; you can put it in a crock pot slow cooker; you can put it in a pressure cooker if you’re short on time; you can cook it on the stove top at a low simmer. My favorite is the stove top. Today, I’m doing the crock pot so I can just ignore it.

First, the ingredients are beef roast of any kind, onions, water, and seasonings. You want the same amount in weight of beef and onion. So, if you have one pound of beef, you want one pound of onion. Then enough water to cover the onion and beef by about an inch, and some salt for flavor. Easy peasy. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the onions disappear and the beef is falling apart tender. The cooking time depends on the cooking method. Today, I’m going to start the stew in the crock pot slow cooker, and finish it on the stove top. There’s a method to my madness, though, that I’ll explain in a minute. 

When making this stew, the basic ingredients are the same, but additional ingredients are legion. Today, I’m adding red wine to give it a more Beouf Bourguignon flavor. I’m also putting in leeks because we like them. And I’m adding fresh garlic, dried thyme, and Hatch green chili flakes. The garlic and thyme pair well with beef to add depth, and the chili flakes because we desperately the Hatch green chilies and the added kick of spice is wonderful. I’m also going to add cubed potatoes at the very end.

So here’s what I did. I had a two pound chunk of eye roast. I cubed it in large chunks and put it in the crock pot turned on high. I poured a box of beef broth into the crock pot and added two pounds of rough chopped onions, four large cloves of garlic that I peeled and rough chopped, a sprinkle of thyme, and one cup of red wine. Later, what I’ll do after several hours of cooking on high is put the whole concoction from the crock pot into a large pot on the stove top. I’ll add liquid if I need to, but I don’t believe I’ll need it. Then I’ll refresh the flavors after I’ve done a taste test. I’ll set the burner to simmer, add the leeks and potatoes, and reduce the liquid to almost a gravy consistency. By that time, the onions will have disappeared and created a sauce with everything else that will taste amazing.

Ordinarily, I’d serve the stew over noodles or rice. But this time, since there’s potatoes and leeks in the stew, I’ll just make toasted bread to go with the stew. The aroma will fill the house with warmth and nostalgia.

I hope everyone reading this is having a great weekend. Take care of yourselves in whatever weather you’re in, and as always,