Mom's Beef & Vegetable Stew

This is a very open recipe, any vegetable may be added, any set of herbs or spices... It's up to you what broth or bouillon you use. Thanks, mom, for sharing another perfect recipe :)

Ingredients:

• 1 - 1 1/2 pounds stew meat
  
• bit of all-purpose flour to coat meat
• salt and pepper, to taste
• teaspoon sugar
• 2 - 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  
• 8 cups broth or water
• herbs and seasonings of your choice
• fresh or frozen vegetables of your choice... I don't measure, I just eyeball it

Method:

Bring 8 cups of water or broth, herbs and seasonings and raw vegetables (except potatoes, they will become too soft) to a boil in a large stock pot. Meanwhile, combine flour with some salt, pepper and sugar and coat the stew meat with flour. Fry the meat in a hot skillet with a little oil until browned. Set meat aside. When this is done, take some of the broth/water and deglaze the skillet. Add this to the stock pot, turn heat down to a simmer, and add the meat. Make sure that the water isn't boiling when the meat is added, or it will become tough. Let the meat and vegetables simmer for about 30 minutes.

You can now bring your stew to a boil and add in whatever else you may want. Frozen vegetables can be added at this time, and also potatoes. You may also add a bit of barley, rice, or noodles. Return to a simmer for 30 minutes, and then you may enjoy :)

This time around I used some McCormick's Grill Mates Montreal Chicken Seasonings and it worked well for the stew.