Recipe : Easy Oven Beef Stew and the BEST Tea Biscuits

I won't say it's the prettiest stew I've ever made, but it's quite good, very filling and makes good leftovers.  And stew just gives good biscuits a reason for existence.  :-)


Easy Oven Beef Stew

No reference for you on this one, and the instructions are vague... just roll with it.  It's good.

Stewing beef, cut in large-ish bite size pieces
1/2 cup or so of flour
seasonings of your choice
Potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks
Carrots, peeled and cut in chunks
Turnip/Rutabaga, peeled and cut in chunks
Frozen corn and/or peas
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 packet onion soup mix
1 envelope or cube of bouillon (chicken or beef)

Heat oven to 300 degrees.

Mix flour and seasonings together in a mid-size bowl.  Dredge the pieces of meat in it and brown in hot oil for a few minutes.  Arrange meat and vegetable pieces in an oven-proof baking dish or pot.  (I used a 9x13 baking dish setting on a large cookie sheet.)

Mix together the mushroom soup and onion soup mix.  Dissolve the bouillon in a cup of hot water and add to the soup.  Pour over the meat and vegetables.  Mix together.

Bake, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 3 hours.  Add frozen corn/peas and bake for another fifteen minutes.  Serve hot with fresh biscuits.


The BEST Tea Biscuits

That title isn't really an exaggeration.  These really are the best tea biscuits I have ever made.  The original recipe comes from Ann Voskamp:  http://www.aholyexperience.com/2010/01/grannys-tea-biscuits/   I figure, any recipe that begins with the word "Granny" is bound to be good.  And this is no exception to that.

Here are my comments on this one .... the milk can be replaced with water and they still turn out incredible.  Which is nice when you're half way through a recipe and realize you're out of milk.  The sugar can be drastically reduced when you're making them to go with stew, for example.  And obviously the raisins are optional.    What I usually do is mix the ingredients together with a spoon just until it becomes a little challenging, then dump the whole mess out on the counter and knead it together by hand.  Gently, and not for any longer than necessary. Over mixing is not nice for biscuits.   The dough should be quite soft but not sticky.   If it feels like it's just a little too soft, it's probably just about right.

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup raisins
4 tbsp butter
1 egg
1 cup milk

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a baking sheet.
2.Combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut butter in until mixture has a fine crumb texture. Add raisins.
3. Beat 1 egg in 1 cup of milk. Stir in milk with a fork to make a soft dough. Knead a few times.
4. Roll out on floured surfact to a thickness of at least 1/2 inch to 1 inch.
5. Cut into rounds with a cookie cutter or glass.
6. Place on cookie sheet, and bake for 18 to 20 minutes.

By the way, Ann has a beautiful book available now.  Do check it out - her blog has literally been lifechanging for many people I know personally ... I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of her book!!!