Nana's Sweet & Sour Stew

Hey! Long time, no see. I have been kind of bad about blogging for awhile now. Life is busy. My schedule is a lot different than it was when I was blogging regularly. I also have made a lot of interesting changes in the way I eat, but I will save that post for another day.

I have posted this recipe before as a crock pot recipe. I decided to do the "other" version of the recipe which is on the stovetop. I also made a change that I am really excited about (nerd alert!). This recipe is apparently from my great-great grandma, lovingly known as "Nana." My Great-Grandma Blanche made it for my Grandma June, my Grandma June made it for my Dad, and while I am sure my Dad is capable of making it, my mother made it for me growing up. This recipe is true comfort food. It will always remind me of home and my family. As for my change--we usually eat this over mashed potatoes. Instead, I put the mashed potatoes (actually mashed squash, potatoes and turnips) on top, like you would for Shepherd's Pie. Yum!

Ingredients

1.5 pounds of stew meat

1/4 cup of flour (I used rice flour) mixed with salt & pepper

2 Tbs. of olive oil

4 carrots, sliced

1 onion, cut into chunks

1 cup of water

1/2 cup ketchup (I recommend Annie's Organic or Simply Heinz)

1/4 cup vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar

mashed potatoes, mashed root vegetables or mashed cauliflower

1) Dredge the stew meat in the flour.  In a Dutch oven, heat up your oil. Once hot, add the flour coated meat and brown. 

2) While the meat is browning, mix up the base of the stew. In a medium sized bowl whisk together the water, ketchup, vinegar and brown sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

3) Add the carrots and onion to the browned meat. Stir in the sauce and coat. Turn the heat to medium-low and let the mixture simmer  for 35-40 minutes or until the sauce is thickened and the carrots are fully cooked. Stir occasionally. Serve over or under your favorite mashed vegetable.

Optional: You can add just about any vegetable that is sitting in your fridge, dying to be used. This time I used celery and mushrooms because I had them on hand.