Thing 1: I've embraced Mark Bittman's credo of 'vegetables first' when planning meals.

Thing 2: I love beef stew.

My regular beef stew recipe is completely screw-up proof, yet despite the carrots, onion, and potatoes in the mix, the recipe is decidedly beef heavy - 3lbs per pot. So today I set myself the task of increasing the amount of vegetables, reducing the amount of beef, and yet preserving the taste of the original. I experimented, and found I liked this version even more than the original - the butternut squash and sweet potato add a very light sweetness to the dish. Delicious!

ingredients

5 small red potatoes (new potato size)
3 carrots
1 large parsnip
1 sweet potato
1 small butternut squash
1 onion
3 cloves garlic, smashed (and cut into chunks, if large)
1lb beef (I bought stewing beef, ready cut, as it was on sale)
1/3 cup tomato paste
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
4 cups water
salt and pepper
bay leaves

( method behind the cutCollapse )