There are many things in life that make the best of friends.
Certain things partner up in such a way making them better together than they ever could've been apart: a cool evening and a blanket; a good movie and some fresh, hot popcorn; a golden-pink hued sunset and a contemplative walk; a heart filled with love and a warm embrace or a kiss.
The things that go together give a little extra definition to life, and create warmth and preciousness; they offer color and a little special flavor to our experience, making it just a bit more soft and cozy.
Delicious pairings give comfort when comfort is what we're craving; they pique our excitement, and create a more complete and whole experience, which offers that much more complexity and depth to the flavor of things.
Apologies and reconciliations, honesty and acceptance, love and the desire to receive love—all of these are like a warming fall stew full of rich, earthy ingredients that on its own, is delicious; but when ladled into a fresh, soft bread bowl that just longs to hold and absorb it, becomes a complete and divinely nourishing meal, because of the unification.
We, people, are best when we get together with other people; and when we do, those amazing, wonderful things within each of us only come to the surface even more and become highlighted when we partner with others so that we may become more fully who we were meant to be.
The partnerships found in life and in food really aren't so different.
So here's a little acknowledgement of those things that go oh-so well together; they make life a little richer and provide depth, meaning and perhaps even a little sparkle to our existence, because of their wonderful, delectable best friend-ship.
Taste what's good and pass it on.
Ingrid
Fall Harvest Pumpkin and Beef Stew with Vegetables In Warm, Buttery Bread Bowls
by Ingrid Beer
Yield: Serves about 6
Ingredients:
• 1 ½ pounds beef stew meat, cut into bite-size chunks
• Salt
• Black pepper
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 white onion, diced
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 3 medium parsnips, peeled and diced
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
• 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 (15 ounce) can organic pumpkin (puree)
• 3 ½ cups beef stock, hot
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 6 bread bowls, centers scooped out
• ¼ cup melted butter
Preparation:
-Add the beef stew meat into a medium bowl, and sprinkle over a couple of good pinches of salt and black pepper, as well as the flour; toss everything with your fingers to coat the meat well.
-Place a large pot over medium-high heat, and add in the butter and the oil; once nice and hot, add the beef pieces in (work in a couple of batches if necessary), and allow them to sear for a few minutes until deeply browned on all sides.
-With the meat in the pot, add in the onion, parsnips, carrot and celery, and stir to combine the ingredients; allow this mixture to cook for about 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
-Next, add in the garlic and stir that in; once that becomes aromatic, add in the potatoes, the Italian seasoning, another good pinch of pepper, plus the pumpkin puree; stir to combine.
-Add in the hot beef stock, and stir to combine; reduce your heat to low, and allow the stew to very gently simmer, with the lid very slightly askew, for about 1 hour 30 minutes, or until the beef is tender (stirring occasionally).
-To finish the stew, add in the thyme and parsley; keep hot.
-Preheat your oven to 400°, and line a baking sheet with foil; brush a little of melted butter into the hollowed out cavity of the bread bowls (you can even brush the outside lightly, too) and place them on the baking sheet and into the oven to toast/warm for about 4 minutes.
-Ladle the stew into the bread bowls, and enjoy.
Elizabeth
This is right up my alley! It looks so comforting, hearty, and delicious. Perfect. Thanks for sharing, I might just try this one. 🙂
The Cozy Apron
Hey Elizabeth! I hope you do!
Thalia @ butter and brioche
This is seriously such a creative and delicious recipe! I have never made bread bowls before and definitely am inspired to now.. thanks for the great recipe and idea!
Gerry
Do you have a recipe for the bread bowls?
The Cozy Apron
Hi Gerry, I hope this doesn't disappoint you, but these are from Panera—that's my "recipe"! 🙂 I haven't quite taken up bread making as of yet; I'm leaving that to the experts, for the time being. (I like good bread far too much…)
cyn
Can you substitute butternut squash for pumpkin?
The Cozy Apron
Hi Cyn! You could certainly sub butternut, but do keep in mind that I'm using the puree. So you could totally roast off some squash and then puree it, if you'd like; it's what adds the "silkiness" to the stew. Hope you enjoy!
Roxanne @TheROXXBox
This week I'm packing soup for lunch box ideas. I will definitely be making this one. Thanks for sharing.
Roxanne
Hannah
I just tried this... I'm in the UK and we don't have a lot of places that sell pureed pumpkin so I used cubed pumpkin instead and it was still so lovely. Most of the pumpkin cubes broke down to give a smooth texture to the stew. Very warming for a very cold night!
The Cozy Apron
Hi Hannah! Glad you were comforted by this recipe—thank you for sharing! And the cubed pumpkin was a great sub-in, as it does nicely sort of "dissolve" into the stew and thicken things up. 🙂
Tesia
So good! I ended up forgoing the parsnips and adding a couple extra carrots. I also added an extra cup of beef stock, threw in a couple bay leaves, and a sprinkle of seasoning salt and garlic powder. PERFECT flavor! Thanks for the recipe 😀
The Cozy Apron
Hi Tesia, so glad you enjoyed! Thanks for sharing.
Debbie
I made this for guests a few years ago. We all loved it. It was truly one of the best things I have ever tasted! The flavor combinations were divine. My questions are, can you make it 3 days in advance? Can I freeze it first if not? Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe. Debbie
The Cozy Apron
Hi Debbie, I'm so happy to read that you've enjoyed this recipe and it has been a success for you!
You absolutely can prepare it 3 days ahead. With soups and stews, if they have a chance to sit for a couple of days, I find that their flavors intensify and marry even more, and they taste terrific. So, yes—feel free to prep pretty much any soups and stews several days ahead of when you plan to serve them. They'll be perfectly fine. 😉
(If this stew happens to thicken up on you a bit over these days, then typically reheating will help "loosen" it up. If not, add a bit more liquid—either water or stock/broth—and you should be golden.)
Hope you enjoy this recipe for a long time to come. Happy cooking, Debbie!
Debbie
Thank you so much for your answer. I’m looking forward to receiving more ooohs, aaahs, and wows.
The Cozy Apron
Fantastic! 🙂