Carne Guisada

Mexican beef stew. Another winner. This one was so easy to make and very good! I served it over some red potatoes that I had, but next time I will use warm tortillas. Also a little sour cream on top is nice.

I thought the 2 serrano peppers would make it really spicy, but it didn't. It was just right.

2 T. cooking oil
1 lb. beef stew meat
1/2 (6 oz.) can tomato paste. (I used the whole can)
1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
1/2 cup water
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. black pepper
salt to taste
2 serrano chile peppers, seeded and chopped
2 T. cornstarch

Dredge meat in flour. Heat oil and sear outside of beef. Put in crockpot. Add the remaining ingredients. Cook for 8-12 hours. You can shorten the cooking time, but the meat won't be as tender. At the end dissolve cornstarch in a little bit of water and add to the stew to thicken.

My New Beef Stew

This is the Beef Stew that I made the other night. I have made stew numerous times, but was ready for a new recipe. This one was really good. All the boys loved it and the only thing they picked out of it was the mushrooms. I wish I had doubled the recipe.

1 1/2 pounds cubed beef stew meat
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sliced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 can beef consumme

1 bay leaf
2 cups cubed potatoes
1 1/2 cups diced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 1/2 cups biscuit baking mix
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:
1. In a bowl, toss cubed beef with flour to coat.
2. Heat 4 tablespoons butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Place flour in a bag or bowl, and add beef cubes. Toss to coat with flour. Place coated cubes in the skillet and fry until well-browned on all sides; remove from pan and set aside.
3. Cook onion and garlic in same pan until tender. Return meat to pan with water, parsley, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally and adding more water if needed. Stir in potatoes, carrots, celery, and green pepper, and continue cooking another 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, and stir in mushrooms.
4. In a small bowl, mix together baking mix, 3 tablespoons melted butter, and milk until just blended. Drop dough by the tablespoonful into stew. Simmer, uncovered, approximately 10 minutes. Cover, and simmer 10 minutes more, or until dumplings are cooked through, but not dry.

**I did not try the dumpling part, just threw it in the crock pot. That will be next time.