When I started this project, this was one of the recipes that I had to have.

This beef stew is so cozy and comforting, and if you are lucky enough to have leftovers, it’s even more delicious the next day.

After I had sorted through all of Mama V’s recipes, I was still empty handed – and a bit heartbroken. I had helped her make it in the past, but I just couldn’t recall the recipe in its entirety.

One evening when I was out at my parents’ place, I mentioned to Dad that I was still on the hunt for the stew recipe.

I’m pretty sure I asked if she had even written it down, or if she always made it from memory. He was positive that it was written down somewhere.

With that, we started checking different spots in the kitchen to see if it was tucked away in a cookbook, or set aside with a shopping list somewhere. We checked the cupboards, the books, the spice rack. I even went through the stack of recipes one more time to make sure I hadn’t missed it.

As we were searching, we opened the door of her china hutch and found the round baking dish that she always used for making stew. It looks like it was made in a potter’s studio, with a pale grayish-blue glaze and a cute decorative knob on the lid. One of her many garage sale treasures.

What possessed us to take the lid off and look inside that baking dish, I don’t know. But I’m glad we did, because there was the stew recipe in all its glory – with the notation, “family favorite.”

Hopefully this shy little recipe becomes a favorite for you too!

Ingredients

2 lbs stew meat, seasoned with salt and pepper
All purpose flour
One or two 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes
2 cups water
3 Tablespoons tapioca pearls
2 teaspoons sugar
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
4 carrots, sliced or cut into chunks
3-4 potatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks (peeled or with skin on)
2 stalks of celery, sliced
1 medium onion, diced

Instructions

Flour and season meat, then brown in a pan over medium heat.

Combine meat with remaining ingredients and pour into a greased round baking dish (a Dutch oven is perfect for the job!). You can also bake it in a greased 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish topped with aluminum foil.

Bake at 375 degrees for 1 ½ to 2 hours, until meat is tender.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.