Beef Stew for the Masses

Beef Stew

1/4 pound of assorted dry beans
4 cups of water
2 pounds steak cubed
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 can of beef broth (14oz)
2 medium carrots
2 medium parsnips
3 plum tomatos
1 small onion
4 cloves of garlic
1 tbs bread flour
1 tbs dried oregano
1 tbs dried parsley
1 tbs dried sage
1 tbs dried thyme
1 tsp dried curry
1 tsp dried cumin
3 bay leaves
Any other spice/herb you have

1. Heat the 4 cups of water to boiling. Toss in the beans and let boil 2 minutes. (I used a 16 bean soup mix.) Turn off heat and cover. Let stand at least 1 hour.

2. Heat up 1 tbs olive oil on a skillet. Lightly brown the cubes of steak, all the while seasoning with a dash of salt and a dash of black pepper.

3. In a crockpot, add the beef broth, cubed steak, and beans. Turn the crockpot on. (Mine has 2 settings: low and high. I used high, which means 5-6 hours of cooking time for the stew.)

4. Cut the parsnips, carrots, and tomatos into 1/2 inch chunks. Dice the onion. Smash the garlic. Throw it all into the crockpot.

5. Add the remaining tbs of olive oil and the tbs of bread flour. Stir well.

6. Season with all the herbs and spices. Mix well.

7. Cook for 6+ hours and enjoy.