Witches Stew

In keeping with my mom's yearly tradition, I invited my friends over on Halloween night for Witches Stew.  Ever since I can remember, my mom has made witches stew on Halloween for our family and it has always been one of my favorite memories growing up.  No - there's nothing super secret about witches stew (it's a beef stew), but since it was always made on Halloween, it seemed especially mysterious and spooky in my mind.  It's a tradition I plan on keeping for a long time, and when served with wine, frozen Junior Mints, pumpkin pie, and great friends, it can't be beat :)


Ingredients:
1 package Beef Stew Seasoning Mix (I like McCormicks)
2lbs stew beef (cut in cubes)
Flour
Oil
Worcester Sauce
3 cups water
1 rutabaga, cut in 1 inch cubes
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 bunch of celery, chopped
1/2 bag of mini-carrots
1 can green beans
4-5 potatoes, peeled and quartered
Rolls or crunchy bread for dipping


Instructions: (steps 1-3 usually done the day before serving, or during the day in the crock pot)
1. Coat beef with flour.  Heat oil in large deep skillet on medium heat.  Add beef and sprinkle with worcester sauce; cook until browned on all sides.
2. Transfer to pot; stir in Seasoning Mix and Water.
3. Bring to boil; cover.  Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  Add rutabaga, onion, celery, and carrots; simmer 1 hour or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.  
4.  Boil potatoes until fork tender (about 20 minutes).  Add potatoes and beans to stew mix (I usually do this the next day after I've reheated the stew and am ready to serve).  
5.  Serve with rolls or bread and salt and pepper.

veggies

browning the meat

chopped onion and rutabaga

combining the veggies and meat

simmering

done!

xoxo,
stephanie marie