Close-up of a beef dish with sliced onions, tomatoes, green beans, and mushrooms in a savory sauce.

Low and slow for Grandma

By Paula Dream (AKA Kale Haygood)

Greetings to all! Is spring finally here or do we trust the old Farmers’ Almanac that we may expect one last cold spell?

One set of my grandparents literally lived by the almanac. It told them when to plant potatoes, when to plant corn, best time to cut the hay, etc. They lived through some hard times — the Depression — with home delivery of blocks of ice to put in the ice box (not refrigerator).

My dad swore me to secrecy about my grandfather. He was a gentleman that was always at the country church, religiously, three times a week. Anyway the “revenuers†caught him running moonshine and confiscated his team of horses and wagon. He didn’t know how he was going to be able to make crops. 

Also, my grandmother never knew what a slow cooker, AKA Crock-Pot, was.  So this issue I dedicate this column to her by giving you some really great and easy slow cooker recipes. 

Have a great couple of weeks, and keep close watch on your moonshine consumption.

BURGUNDY BEEF IN SLOW COOKER

1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 teaspoon pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, sliced
16 button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 bay leaves
2 cups burgundy wine
1 cup beef broth

Combine flour, salt, and black pepper. Dredge the beef cubes in the flour mixture and brown in olive oil in medium size skillet. Place the beef and remaining ingredients into slow cooker and mix very well. Cover and cook on low for four to six hours or on high for two to three hours. 

SLOW COOKER SWISS STEAK

2 tablespoons oil
2 pounds round steak, cut into serving sizes
1/2 cup flour
3 or 4 potatoes, peeled and quartered
4 carrots, peeled and sliced (or a handful of peeled baby carrots)
2 medium onions, sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon (or more) pepper
1 can (14 ounces) can diced tomatoes
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

Heat oil in a skillet, then coat the steak with flour and brown in oil. Remove the steak from skillet and drain. Place potatoes (personally, I like six washed and unpeeled small red potatoes for a change now and then), carrots and onion in bottom of cooker. Place steak on top of vegetables and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour tomatoes and tomato sauce over top of meat. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours, or on high for six hours.

HOT SPICED WINE

3 or 4 bottles dry red wine
6 apples, cored and thinly sliced
6 whole cloves
4 cinnamon sticks
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and stir well. Cover and cook on low for four to five hours or on high for one to two hours. Use a three to six quart cooker.

Paula Dream, AKA Kale Haygood, owns Beyond Service, a Montrose-based, home-cooking catering company. For more information, call 713-805-4106 or email barrykale@yahoo.com.

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