Ginger and Molasses Beef Stew

I made this last night – it’s not on the list of requested recipes, but it was pretty tasty. Tart and kind of sweet, but not overpoweringly so.

Ginger and Molasses Beef Stew

Serves 6 to 8

2 pounds lean beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon cooking oil
4 carrots, sliced
2 medium parsnips, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 ¼ inch slice fresh gingerroot, or ½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ cup quick cooking tapioca
1 16 ounce can diced tomatoes
¼ cup vinegar
¼ cup molasses
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ cup raisins.

In a 10 inch skillet, brown the meat a third at a time in hot oil. Drain off any fat.

In a 3 ½ to 6 quart crockery cooker, place carrots, parsnips, onion, celery, and gingerroot (if using). Sprinkle tapioca on top of vegetables. Place meat in cooker. Combine undrained tomatoes, vinegar, molasses, salt, pepper, and ground ginger (if using) and pour over meat.

Cover and cook on low heat for 9 to 10 hours, or on high heat for 4 to 5 hours.

Stir in raisins. Cover and cook 30 minutes more.

Remove slice of gingerroot (if used) before serving.

Source: What’s for Dinner? From Better Homes and Gardens Books, Inc. © 1995

Notes from the Hare

This was very good stew. I’m not sure what my thoughts are on the parsnips – this was my first time eating them – but as a whole the stew works. It was tarter than I expected (probably because I used apple cider vinegar), and not as sweet as I perhaps expected, but this plus some biscuits made for an excellent meal.