Beef & Roasted Root Vegetable Stew

“…  put the flesh into an animal’s paunch, mix water with it, and boil it like that over the bone fire.  The bones burn very well, and the paunch easily contains all the meat once it has been stripped off.  In this way an ox, or any other sacrificial beast, is ingeniously made to boil itself.”– Herodotus (supposedly 8th to 4th centuries BC). 

 So it’s stew, and it’s made far back to prehistoric dates by the Scythians.  Stew is ancient.  May it be  known that it might be a humble dish for a commoner to feast on but by no means is it shameful of, not even being compared to the most luxurious meals to dine and feast on in today’s cultural settings.  Stew used to be for the poor in later centuries, long after the years of being cooked and eaten for survival; now, it is reasonable, economical, practical-smart, healthy, as well as– delicious.  It keeps the bones warm, keeps you fed, filled and content; more than a bowl of jelly on warm toasted bread.  It’s everything about home, not necessarily made of leftovers to ward off the spoils of the day, but a solid meal with plenty of protein, vegetables, and the gravy sauce that it slow-cooks to marinate in for tenderness.  Nowadays, people plan to have stew, when it used to be what people had to have in order to eat; what they had to eat in order to live, along with bread; although, bread and butter do keep the stomach warm and full…

 Stew was comprised of boiled meat and vegetables–root vegetables.  Thank goodness we no longer live in the day of the dinosaurs, that we can now conveniently cook us a pot of stew in a heavy pan with a lid on it over the stove in a warm comfortable house of modern living; not in the woods crouched before a fire or in a cave, still being in the cold before a hot toasty fire.  We are for certain that the furs had to have made a difference, bedding down for the nights cozy and warm underneath layers of fur from trappings that they had to rely on to also survive, in that way, as well.  They had to reason and be smart, have the intelligence to succomb to their standard of living so that we could have information to advance even to our world of technology.  It is amazing when you think of it.  We go further back from pioneer days, giving credit to where credit is due, to also giving thanks and a tribute to those of prehistoric times.  Without them, we would not have known how to advance into the ages, so well.

  Cavemen rock.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Chop 4 carrots, 4 parsnips, 2 onions and 4 beets uniformly the same so they roast evenly on time together.  Spread root vegetables in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Coat wtih 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, garlic, sea salt and cracked pepper.  Toss, then roast in the oven for approximately 45 minutes. 

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil on medium heat, then lightly toss beef cubes in flour and add to the pan.  Sear for a few minutes on all sides, just to brown, giving the meat a crisp exterior. 

Deglaze the pan with red wine.

Transfer the beef and juices into a big heavy pot that would prevent it to burn (thin pots burn your meal), add beef stock, 1 halved carrot, 1 halved celery stalk, 1/4 cup fresh parsley, bone (from the foreshank), bay leaves, thyme and peppercorns.

Cover and simmer for two hours, allowing to slow-cook for the meat to become tender and moist, to fall apart on your fork.  Check on the stew occasionally and remove scum.

Remove soggy carrot, celery, bones and herbs.  Add the roasted vegetables and red lentils.  Let it simmer an additional 20 minutes. 

Great with good mashed potatoes.