EASY RECIPE
This week’s easy recipe is based on a number of beef stew recipes which I adapted to work with the Ninja Cooking system. Full Disclosure: I was comped a Ninja cooking system at the IFBC 2012 in Portland. The following recipe and And Stuff story are an account of my experience with the cooking system.
Ingredients:
2 lbs stew meat
One and 1/2 C beef broth
1 C red wine.
1 medium onion – chopped
1 C celery – (about two ribs) – sliced
4 red potatoes peeled and cut in half or more depending on size
1 C baby -cut carrots
18 small mushrooms
1/2 C frozen peas
1/2 C pearl onons
4 garlic cloves – crushed and diced
1/2 tsp salt and pepper
1/4 tsp Thyme (dry)
1 Bay Leaf
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Olive oil
Preparation:
Turn Ninja on to stove top high and add olive oil
Add the stew meat and cook for 10 minutes or until browned
Add wine and let simmer for a minute or two.
Add beef broth
Add soy sauce
Add onion, celery, carrots, salt, pepper, thyme, garlic, bay leaf and stir.
Add potatoes and stir.
Change Ninja cooking mode to slow cook and if on low it will take 7 hours and if on high 4 hours.
Thaw the peas and pearl onions and add in the last 10 minutes of cook time.
So, now you have four to seven hours to kill. You can probably get in 2 football games while you wait.
AND STUFF
You know from a prior And Stuff story She Who Must Be Obeyed and I attended the 2012 International Food Blogger Conference in Portland. On day two of the event the schedule called for a Ninja Cooking System demonstration at noon. That totally conflicted with my personal schedule which mandated trying a Portland brewery for lunch. But, just prior to leaving I heard that Ninja was giving IFBC attendees a card for a comped NINJA. OK, that slowed my departure for the brewery just long enough for me to grab a card for a NINJA whatcha ma call it.
Truth is I didn’t attend the demonstration. But, upon my return home I followed the instructions on the card to get me whatever it was. The next Sunday morning while surfing TV I came across a NINJA Cooking system infomercial and learned what is was. This thing could be cool, very cool.
So, the box arrived, I opened it, washed everything, and began reading the instructions. I totally get the one pot and steam cooking concept. Not too sure I’m gonna bake a cake in the cute little baking pan, but who knows, maybe I will for giggles.
Show time.
Here we go, time to one-pot cook NINJA style easy beef stew. After a pilot error or two, I got things going.
The beef browned nicely in the NINJA on stove top mode.
Plenty of room for the rest of the ingredients. All was going smooth….too smooth.
It came time to switch from stove top to slow cooker and ……. it was easy. When I switched to slow cooker (high) the timer immediately went to 4 hours. Nice. Well there ya go, 4 hours to kill. I picked up my son at school, and then pounded out this recipe and story. And boy, 4 hours is a long time to fill, maybe a martini is in order.
The darn thing works, real well. I can see cooking dressing in this baby at Thanksgiving. Anyway, the recipe works with whatever slow cooker you have, enjoy, and you know what … this would be great in Mammoth….throw it together in the morning… go skiing …and about seven hours later you are having stew by the fireplace.
Scoreboard NINJA.
Good Eating and Table Talk,
Roger
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