Curried Beef Stew

I toyed with the idea of titling this entry “GamerGate Stew,” but considering how much grossness I’ve subjected you all to lately, I thought I’d be pushing my luck. Let’s forget about the Internet’s Shittiest People ™ for a moment and talk about something lovely–a curried beef stew.

I used to make this stew awhile back, using a recipe I’d found in a slow cooker recipe book. It was nice. It was basically a classic beef stew with some mango chutney and curry powder stirred in to add some heat and sweetness. Last night I wanted to do a variation on this recipe, only I didn’t have any chutney on hand. I also wanted to make a slightly more sophisticated version of the stew–with a little more depth of flavor. I happened to have some dried apricots on hand so I used them as a jumping off point. I made a paste using a few pantry staples, hoping to evoke the heat and sweetness of mango chutney/curry combo.

The finished stew turned out far better than I ever could have imagined.

(Ingredient amounts are vague because I do not cook with precision. I throw things together and hope the finished product will turn out well. They almost always do.)

Curried Beef Stew

• 1-2 lbs. stew beef, dredged in plenty of flour, salt and pepper
• 4-5 carrots, cut into bite-size chunks
• 1 large onions, cut into bite-size chunks
• 2 tomatoes, cut into bite- size chunks
• 2-3 potatoes, cut into bite-size chunks
• 1/3 heaping cup of dried apricots
• 1-2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 3-4 cups beef broth
• 1 tbsp. curry powder

1 cup frozen peas

1. In a slow cooker with browning feature, brown the dredged and seasoned beef in oil.
2. Meanwhile, make the apricot curry paste. In a food processor, pulse the apricots, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, curry powder and just enough beef broth to moisten the mixture until it becomes pasty.
3. Add the chopped veggies to the slow cooker and season with salt and pepper. Stir everything together.
4. Stir in the apricot paste, then add the beef broth.
5. Cook on low for about 8 hours or 4 on high.

Add peas a few minutes before stew is done.

I imagine this would be great garnished with a dab of raita or some chopped cilantro, but honestly the stew is so delicious and satisfying, you’ll just be gilding the lily.