Sweet & Sour Beef Stew

When I was a teenager, still in school, I began purchasing a cookbook encyclopedia from Better Homes & Gardens. I used those books all the formative years of my cooking and throughout the years I was raising my family.  I brought them over to the U.K. with me but sadly I had to leave them behind when I came back to Canada.  I have since been buying the volumes that I really missed via a used book site online when and as I can afford to.

This recipe I am sharing today comes from the Better Homes and Gardens Casserole Cookbook, reprinted in 1970.  This was a real favorite book of mine throughout my married life and one that I used often.  This simple beef stew recipe was a family favorite.

 

 

The meat always comes out melt-in-the-mouth tender and delicious and the gravy is sensational.  It uses simple ingredients. Things that I always had in my home and the children loved the slight sweet and tanginess of the simple gravy. There was nothing complicated about it.

I remember serving it to my father when I was living in my first small apartment. He had a job which often took him throughout this small valley we still live in.  He would stop by for lunch sometimes and I can remember him loving this stew.  He said it was better than my mother's stew.  I do not know if that was true or not, but it made me happy to hear him say so and to know that he enjoyed it.

I hope that you will also enjoy it.  I have cut the quantities back from the original to make only 3 to 4 servings. If you wish to serve more people, simply double the ingredients. Cook times will remain the same. Prepare to fall in love.

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE 1970'S SWEET & SOUR STEW

Simple store-cupboard ingredients and time.  A deep skillet and a lid.  The rest is magic and love.

For the meat:

• 2 TBS plain all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 pound (453g) stewing beef, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 TBS light olive oil

For the sauce:

• 1/2 cup (120ml) water
• 1/4 cup (61g) tomato ketchup
• 2 TBS (27.5g) soft light brown sugar, packed
• 2 TBS (30ml) white vinegar
• 1/2 TBS Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt

You will also need:

• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
• 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
• Mashed potatoes, rice or noodles to serve

 

NOTE - Yes, you do see green beans in the stew. I had a half a can of them left from another recipe and threw them in and heated them through at the last minute. This worked very well, tasted delicious and meant I didn't waste them. 

 

I wish we had a local butcher here like I had in the U.K. but alas I do not. I have to make do with store purchased meat.  This was a small package of beef marked and cubed for stewing. I cut the large cubes into smaller cubes.

The original recipe called for shortening to brown the meat in. I used light olive oil. I rarely use shortening these days if at all.  

Everything else is pretty self-explanatory. I did not have any large carrots, but I did have a bag of mini carrots. I used those, cut in half on the diagonal.

 

HOW TO MAKE 1970'S SWEET & SOUR STEW

Just a few simple, humble ingredients and a bit of time.  This is simple and delicious. There is nothing complicated here. Long slow cooking is the key.

Put the flour, salt and pepper into a baggie. Add the meat cubes. Shake together until the meat is well coated.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the cubes of meat and brown them well on all sides.

While the meat is browning, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients, making sure they are well mixed together.

 

Pour the sauce ingredients over the meat to cover. Stir in the onion. Cover tightly and reduce the heat to a low simmer.

Simmer, covered, for 45 minutes, stirring once or twice. (Add some water if you think it is getting too thick.)

At the end of 45 minutes, stir in the carrots. Cover and continue to cook for a further 45 minutes until both the meat and the carrots are tender. Taste and adjust seasoning as required.

Serve hot ladled into heated bowls or onto heated plates with mounds of fluffy mashed potatoes, rice or noodles.

 

HINTS AND TIPS FOR SUCCESS WHEN MAKING STEWS

1.  Don't rush the browning process by having too high of a heat.  Burnt ingredients will not add to the flavor.  A medium high heat, lots of attention and a stir every now and again for even browning.  Do make sure you get a deep brown (not burnt) color on your meat. This is where a lot of the flavor will come from.

2. Once the liquid ingredients are added, bring just to the boil and then reduce to a slow simmer. Boiling the meat will toughen it.  A slow braise will ensure a tender melt-in-the-mouth finish.  Don't be in a hurry.

3. Don't over season.  The flavors will condense as the sauce/gravy simmers and thickens. You can always taste it at the end and add a bit more salt or pepper or both if need be.

It had been many years since I had made this stew. One taste and all of the memories came flooding back and I found myself wondering why I had waited so long to make it again.  This was a favorite of my father's when he would stop in and visit me in my first little apartment. Rich and delicious.

I enjoyed this with a pile of fluffy mashed potatoes and shared some of it with my next-door neighbor who was very appreciative! I froze the remainder for another time. It has always been my experience that things like stew get even tastier upon standing.

Are you in love with comfort food?  Love nothing more than a tasty soup or a stew?  Then you will probably also love the following favorites!

ROAST CHICKEN SOUP WITH BARLEY AND PARSNIPS - This soup starts with a delicious homemade stock which is made from the carcass of a roasted chicken. Into this goes pearl barley, grated parsnips, and cabbage with perfectly delicious results.  You can use readymade stock as well if you want. Leftover shredded chicken is added and heated through at the end for a delicious bowl of soup that everyone will enjoy.

OVEN BRAISED BEEF STEW - My vegetables that I use for this stew are pretty simple.  Onions, garlic, carrots, parsnips, swede (rutabaga), potato.  Humble vegetables, comfort vegetables . . . winter vegetables.  I like to cut them into a pretty uniform size.  These are added to a casserole of nicely browned beef, along with a mix of aromatics and a simple sauce. Braised in the oven, all of the flavors meld into a very delicious stew that your family is sure to love. 

Yield: 3 to 4 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Sweet & Sour Stew

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 1 H & 25 MTotal time: 1 H & 40 M

Simple and delicious. A vintage recipe using simple ingredients and with bags of flavor. If you wish to feed more people, simply double everything up. The timings will stay the same

Ingredients

For the meat:

• 2 TBS plain all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 pound (453g) stewing beef, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 TBS light olive oil

For the sauce:

• 1/2 cup (120ml) water
• 1/4 cup (61g) tomato ketchup
• 2 TBS (27.5g) soft light brown sugar, packed
• 2 TBS (30ml) white vinegar
• 1/2 TBS Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt

You will also need:

• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
• 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 cups)
• Mashed potatoes, rice or noodles to serve

Instructions

1. Put the flour, salt and pepper into a baggie. Add the meat cubes. Shake together until the meat is well coated.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the cubes of meat and brown them well on all sides.
3. While the meat is browning, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients, making sure they are well mixed together.
4. Pour the sauce ingredients over the meat to cover. Stir in the onion. Cover tightly and reduce the heat to a low simmer.
5. Simmer, covered, for 45 minutes, stirring once or twice. (Add some water if you think it is getting too thick.)
6. At the end of 45 minutes, stir in the carrots. Cover and continue to cook for a further 45 minutes until both the meat and the carrots are tender. Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
7. Serve hot ladled into heated bowls or onto heated plates with mounds of fluffy mashed potatoes, rice or noodles.

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