Ingredients:
1 lb. stew beef (try US Wellness Meats, or any pasture fed only beef)
1 large tomato
6-8 crimini mushrooms
1 onion
1 red pepper
Unfiltered olive oil
Butter
Garlic, Sea salt, Basil
Instructions:
Cut beef into small pieces (small enough to fit in a soupspoon)
Put in bowl, add olive oil, stir well, leave for 1 hour
(Can be refrigerated overnight after the 1 hour; remove 1 hour before cooking)
Cut up all vegetables, save tomatoes separately
Heat butter in heavy pan (to Medium, no hotter), add beef, stir til mostly cooked
Add vegetables (except tomatoes), stir gently
(Add butter if things look too dry – the beauty of mushrooms is how much fat they soak up)
Stir in minced garlic, 1-2 t.
Put a lid on it (keeps steam in), cook low for a half hour (minimum) or up to a couple of hours, BUT:
Add water so it becomes thinner than stew, thicker than soup (=Stoup)
(Quantity – 3-5 cups; use your judgment; it can always be evaporated off)
Near to mealtime, add fresh tomato
Stir in crushed dried Basil (or fresh if you have it), 1+ tsp.
If there is not enough to fill 5 bowls as a main course with salad, add water
If there is too much broth and it looks weak, simmer — GENTLY! — til there is less
Add Sea salt and serve it up. Enjoy!
(with thanks again to Betsy Davenport!)
Stoup = stew + soup
This “Stoup” is the best stew or soup I and my husband have EVER tasted! I didn’t have a red pepper so I put in 1/2 a jalapeno finely chopped and it was perfect.
Highly recommended!