Pete is a cow. I was first introduced to him a number of years back while visiting Hubby’s aunt and uncle at their dairy farm in Pennsylvania. When we were introduced, Pete was still a young thing, having just been weaned from his mother and learning to eat the grains that were part of his diet.
Since I don’t mind getting my hands dirty and helping out is just the right thing to do, it fell on me to clean out Pete’s stall and feed him when needed. When we left for home, I made sure to say good-bye to my new friend and gave his forehead a good scratch before we hit the road.
Months later, we visited again. After dinner I commented on how incredibly tender and delicious the steak had been and asked where they’d gotten it. Oh, naive me. ‘It’s a local cow,’ farmer Jerry informed me with a quirky handle-bar mustached smile.
As further explanation, Hubby leaned over and whispered, ‘It’s a bad thing to be born a boy cow on a dairy farm.’
The Process
If you can get your hands on this special Back to School issue from All You, I highly recommend it. This dish is another of ten slow cooker recipes in the magazine (remember the Baked Ziti that we enjoyed so much?).
The only work you need to make sure you do is to brown the beef chunks in a skillet before tossing them in the slow cooker. You definitely want the gorgeous color it gives the meat, but the the added flavor is the real seller. Plus, while you’re standing there at the stove, you can create a versions of Stonehenge with the pieces. Not that I know that from experience or anything.
The time given for cooking the meat was perfect, but my tomatoes needed about 25 minutes in the cooker before they hit the soft and bursting stage.
The Verdict
There were three sets of thumbs-up at the table when everyone finally stopped eating long enough to vote. Dudette had a little trouble with the heat (if you have kids, I suggest mild curry rather than hot; the recipe doesn’t differentiate), but she enjoyed the flavor very much. Hubby and I both loved it, even though the heat did start numbing my lips by the time dinner was over. This recipe is another keeper.
What I’d Do Different Next Time
Since there is cayenne added, I’d go with the mild curry over hot.
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 pounds beef chuck roast, cut into 2-inch pieces
- Salt
- 2 large onions, each cut into 8 wedges
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
- 1 12-oz. can light coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- In a large skillet, warm oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle beef with salt and brown on all sides, in batches if necessary, about 8 minutes total. Transfer to slow cooker along with onions, garlic and ginger.
- Whisk together coconut milk, brown sugar, curry powder and cayenne and pour over meat. Cover and cook on low until meat is fork-tender, 4 to 5 hours. Stir in cherry tomatoes and let them warm and soften in stew for 15 minutes. Adjust seasonings and serve.
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