Thursday Recipe - Watchagot Stew, Bean Style

We had watchagot stew again this week. For those who don't know, this is the soup where someone asks, "What's for dinner?" and the answer is, "I don't know. What cha got?" You then open the fridge and see what you got. That gets thrown together in a pot to make watchagot stew. Get it? Got it. Good. (Bonus points if you get the movie reference.)

We have a lot of old food storage items in our basement right now. Long story, but we inherited most of it. Some of it is ours that we just forgot about because it got stored in the wrong closet. It's amazing what you discover when you clean out your basement. My husband found a ten bean mix that needed used, so he dumped 3-4 c. of dried beans in a crockpot and soaked them overnight, then cooked them the next day. He was staring at the beans and wondering what to do with them. Plain beans are not very tasty. So we dressed them up with what we had. It turned out pretty tasty.

Watchagot Stew, Bean Style

3-4 c. dried beans, any variety (lima, pinto, black, red, kidney, garbanzo, lentils, split peas, etc.)
6 c. water
1 t. salt
1 t. ground black pepper
1/4 onion soup mix
5 tomatoes, chopped small
1 bell pepper, chopped small
1 onion, chopped small
2 c. ham, chopped
4 carrots, sliced

Soak beans in water overnight. Drain and rinse. Add enough water to cover beans. Cook on low in a crockpot for 6 hours, until mostly done.

Add in everything else plus whatever else you have laying around that needs used that smells like it would go with the other flavors, like zucchini or green beans or corn. Cook on high for 2-3 hours. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Turn to low and hold for as long as needed.

Makes about 3 quarts of soup.

Thursday Recipe - Beef Stew

This is one of my favorite recipes. To do it right, it does take all day, but that's cooking in the crockpot or simmering on the stove. The actual prep time is fairly short, mostly chopping vegetables.

Cooking the beef in grape juice tenderizes it so you can use the cheap cuts that are on the tough side. Look for a roast or large steak marked "For Braising". That means cooking in liquid which is exactly what you're doing with this recipe. I look for the least expensive lean roast I can find. Rump roast and round steak are perfect. The grape juice also makes the meat turn brown and look more appetizing. The stew has a slightly sweet taste, like French roast beef, not the traditional tomato tang of beef stew.

So pull out your stew pot and try something a little different. You might be surprised how easy and delicious it is.

French Beef Stew

1 beef roast, about 2 lbs
1 large onion, chopped
1 T. dried oregano
1 t. dried sage
1 t. ground black pepper
1 t. garlic powder
1 T. salt
3 c. purple grape juice, unsweetened
3 c. carrots, peeled and cut into bite size pieces
6 c. potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite size pieces
2 c. frozen petite peas

Put roast into large crockpot (5-6 quart). Add onions and spices. Pour grape juice over top. Add just enough water to cover. Cook on high for 3-4 hours. Remove roast and cut into bite size pieces. Return to crock pot. Add carrots and potatoes. Add just enough water to cover vegetables. Cook on high for 3-4 hours until vegetables are tender. Add peas. Cook on low for an additional 20 minutes. Stir well and add salt to taste.

For stove top: Follow the recipe, except cook on med-low heat on stovetop for 1.5 to 2 hours instead of the 3-4 in the crockpot. Add vegetables and cook another 1-2 hours. Add water as needed during cooking time.