Crock-Pot Beef Stew

This crock-pot beef stew would probably fall under the “semi-homemade” category, as it uses bottled gravy, dry onion soup mix (as well as the juice coming from various ingredients) as the basis of its sauce.

The base recipe is one published by the Texas Beef Council, often doubled since I have a large crock pot.

Crockpot Beef Stew

Ingredients:
* 2 lbs. lean chuck roast cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes
* 1/2 tsp. pepper
* 1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
* 2 jars mushroom gravy (about 3 cups)
* 6 small potatoes cut into 1/2-inch cubes
* 6 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1-inch cubes
* 1 carton mushrooms, quartered

Instructions:
Put the beef cubes in the bottom of crockpot. Sprinkle with pepper and the onion soup mix. Add gravy. Layer the vegetables, potatoes first, then carrots, and finish with mushrooms on top. Cover with lid and cook on low for 7-9 hours.

There are some modifications I employ: In every double-batch, I’ll cut about 8-9 redskin potatoes. I’ll also slice 5-6 talks of celery and place the pieces in the stew. I often omit the pepper, and use beefy onion soup mix rather than regular. Lastly, I use around 2 lbs. of baby carrots.

Adobong Manok (Chicken Adobo)

Conisdered in many respects to be the national dish of the Philippines, Adobo is the quintessential Filipino comfort food. It’s a simple dish consisting of something (often meat, but sometimes vegetables — sometimes both) cooked with vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, bay leaves, and peppercorns. It differs from its counterpart in Latin American/Southwestern cooking in a few ways: Tomatoes and chilles are often not found in the Filipino version, and Filipino Adobo is more akin to a stew than a meat rub.

The recipe I most often use is Corrine Domingo’s found on the Food Network:

4-5 lbs. chicken thighs
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. black peppercorns
3 bay leaves

Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Cover and marinate chicken for 1-3 hours. Bring to boil, then lower heat. Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and simmer until sauce is reduced and thickened, and chicken is tender, about 20 more minutes. Serve with steamed rice.