Asleep After Stew

Seems Thursdays Beef Stew post became Friday's gift. A lovely dinner, a glass (or two) of wine and some very silly giggling and rolling on the floor with a baby led to mama asleep on the couch nursing said baby. I've been avoiding wine in hopes of keeping my immune system at peak performance, but stew without wine, I just couldn't do it. So here's what I did.

Coat roast with cumin, salt and pepper...be generous. Lightly brown the meat in a stew pot and then remove. Add a few TB of balsamic vinegar, a squeeze of honey, a squeeze of ketchup and scrape up those brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the meat back in along with some large pieces of carrots, celery, onion and garlic cloves. Add some tomatoes in their juices and some chicken or beef stock(about 2 cups or so). Bring to a boil and cover, reduce to a simmer and leave on the stove all day long. About two hours before serving, remove meat, add large chunks of rutabaga, 1/4 cup or so of red wine and some kudzu mixed with water. Cut the strings off the meat and break into large pieces adding back to pot. Keep lid off and simmer, stirring occasionally. The stew will thicken up and turn a deep red color. Serve with a nice Zinfandel unless you have something to do later that evening that requires staying awake!!!