Len's Recipe of the Month - April 2018

Of all the recipes I have loaded here, I am proudest of this one.   Why?  Because, for once, I didn't steal something from a Valerie Bertinelli cookbook.  Nope.   I improvised this beef onion soup completely on my own.   And I was astounded how good it tasted as I used all my recently-learned cooking skills to good effect.

And it all started very simply.   I had some celery stalks left over from my Oscar night turkey chili.   Okay, what do you usually make with celery?  Stew? Wasn't in the mood.  Chicken noodle soup?  Also not in the mood.   Wait.   I had some stew meat in the freezer.

It started to come together.   And here's how you do it.

Take about 1 pound and a half of stew beef and dredge with a little flour in a bowl.  Set aside.

In a Dutch onion, melt 1/2 stick of unsalted butter.  Add three to four sliced sweet onions.  Saute for about fifteen minutes.   Add two tablespoons cane sugar.   You want the onion to caramelize.   When they are brown and translucent, add two chopped celery stalks.   Mix it all around.   After ten more minutes, push the veggies to the side and add the beef.   Let that all brown together for about five minutes.   

Add a tablespoon of Kosher salt, a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar, and one 1/4 cup of cooking sherry.   Now pour in four cups of beef broth.   Lower your flame to simmer.   Cover and let it all come together for at least an hour.   If you want it to go even longer, that's better for an even more robust flavor.

You could serve it like this with some garnish of parsley.   I added shredded Parmesan to the top and it gave off that French onion soup gooey quality without having to use those special tureens.   I made some quick garlic toast and dipped that into the soup.   Even more delicious.

You're welcome.

Dinner last night:  Leftover tortellini.