There's more than one way to make a stew...soup...what is it really?

I enjoy cookbooks, enjoy reading the recipes, picking out which ones I want to try, simple really.  Well, not really, fore I have the habit of not following them word for word; always changing ingredients or directions.  Most of the time it works out very well; sometimes...not so much.  That's when I go back, retry the recipe, as it was written, to find out where I went wrong.  The sad thing is, I didn't, the recipe sucked from the get-go.

I love when a recipe I've created turns out to have more versatility to it then planned.  A stew can be made into its original concept, a stew; but the possibilities for more abounds.  A pot pie, casserole or soup can be created with the leftover of that simple stew.

So, I give to you.....

Steak Two Ways

This recipe can be used in two ways, as a stew served with noodles, potatoes or rice; or as a soup served with warm, crusty bread.

Ingredients:

3 lbs sirloin steak, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 medium onions, slivered

¾ lb mushrooms, cut into ¼ inch slices

2 (14 ½ oz) cans diced tomatoes

2 (10 ¾ oz) cans cream of mushroom soup

1 (10 ¾ oz) can beef broth

2 tsp ground black pepper

 ¼ tsp cayenne pepper flakes

1 tsp each sea salt, garlic powder, thyme and marjoram

Preparation:

Spray a 6 qt crock pot with non-stick spray.  Place meat, onions, mushrooms and tomatoes into pot.  In a large bowl, mix together, soup, broth and seasoning; pour over ingredients in pot.  Set on low and cook for 8-10 hours; mix ingredients together after 3 hours.  Serve as desired; as a stew, soup or both.

Mary Cokenour

January 18, 2011