Stew is the perfect way to cook tough cuts of meat that you wouldn’t use in other preparation methods. Not only does the low and slow cooking method allow for tender, fall-apart pieces of beef, but it’s an incredibly budget-friendly cooking method that can turn a small amount of meat into a crowd-pleasing feast.
For this particular recipe, I opted to use a combination of mushrooms, beef, parsnips, and a splash of red wine to take this recipe from good to great. Adding wine to stew is nothing new, a classic boeuf bourguignon recipe is a great example of this, as spirits, beer, and wine are a simple and effective way to add a burst of flavor to any recipe. Although adding wine does initially add alcohol to the dish, as it cooks down, most of the alcohol cooks off, leaving enhanced flavor and aroma.
Although some recipes will call for “cooking wine”, I would suggest using a dry red that is relatively inexpensive but good enough to drink, such as pinot noir, merlot, or cabernet sauvignon. And, if you’re not a fan of wine or don’t have any on hand, you can also easily omit the wine completely and add an extra cup of beef broth instead.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound Ground Beef
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 tablespoon Minced Dry Onion
- 6 ounces Cream Cheese
- 3 Eggs
- 1 pound Mushrooms ; sliced
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 1 teaspoon Seasoning Salt
- 1 teaspoon Dried Parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 2 cups Mozzarella Mix ; shredded, (see below)
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese ; shredded
INSTRUCTIONS
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) In a large frying pan, over medium heat, brown ground beef and sprinkle with salt, pepper and minced onion. Set aside to cool.
3) In a food processor, process cream cheese and add eggs one at a time until well incorporated.
4) Pour over ground beef and stir to combine. Pour into bottom of 9×9 casserole dish. Press meat mixture into bottom of pan, to cover.
5) In frying pan in butter, over medium heat, cook mushrooms until softened and turning brown. Sprinkle with seasoning salt, parsley and black pepper.
6) Pour mushrooms over meat mixture in casserole dish. Move around to completely cover meat. (Mozzarella mix is one of those preshredded cheeses that come mixed with mozzarella, Romano and Parmesan. ) Spread the Mozzarella mix over the ingredients in the casserole dish to cover.
7) Bake about 20-25, or until set. DO not overcook.
8) Add to serving plates and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to garnish. Serve with a green salad.
Source : Allrecipes.Com