Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Grateful for...Worcestershire Sauce!



As the finish line comes into view on the marathon that has been 2010, I’m taking a moment (or two) to focus on the things in my life for which I am grateful. While cleaning people and double ovens still top my list of things that make me smile, I am aware of the other things...


This being a food blog and all, I will attempt to stay on topic. Food items. There are many unsung heros of my kitchen. The ingredients called on frequently that I probably could live without, but wouldn’t want to. These poor essentials live lives of anonymity where, even though they are called on several times a week, they are never ever given top billing in the title of any dish. My fingerprints are all over their bottles. My kids know their aromas well. They are called ‘the secret ingredient’. Um yeah. Well, I’m letting one of them out of the closet today and singing his (he’s definitely male) praises. Worcestershire Sauce....I must say that this guy has been hanging around my refrigerator for decades and was rarely called on unless I was serving steak. I grew up with a father who put it on steak so that’s what I did too. The kitchen of my childhood housed it somewhere when it was not being used, but I am at a loss to tell you where. Sadly, the Worcestershire Sauce of my adult life has suffered a similar fate...until this year. I’m not sure when it happened, but sometime in 2010 I was at a loss for an appealing ingredient to add to something and decided that the smell of the Worcestershire Sauce was something of a ‘must add’ to my dish. Oh my! The miracle sauce transformed my dish...and my mind. I now buy the stuff at Costco - because I use so much of it!


While the ingredients listed on the bottle of the sauce are not something I would have thought to mix together (anchovies, tamarind, molasses, garlic, vinegar, chilies, cloves, shallots, sugar, and blah, blah, blah chemical), two guys in England did. Great story here (or legend, I’m not sure which). Story goes that Mr. Lee & Mr. Perrin mixed this stuff together and tasted. Absolute horror. They stuck it on a shelf for a few years and forgot about it. Someone decided to do some house cleaning one day (I’m guessing) and discovered the long-forgotten bottle. The brave soul opened it and was rewarded with what we know to be Worcestershire Sauce today.


The following recipe started as a Better Homes ‘New Cook Book’ recipe (the big red and white plaid book), but has been so modified over the years that it scarcely resembles the original anymore.


Beef Stew


1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp salt

3 lbs beef stew meat cut into 2ish-inch cubes

2 tbsp cooking oil

1 medium onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp dried thyme, crushed

3 cups vegetable juice cocktail

1 cup water

1 tsp instant beef bouillon granules

3 tbsp worcestershire sauce

few dashes bottled hot pepper sauce (I use several)

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 cups sliced carrots



In a plastic bag combine flour and 2 tsp salt. Add meat cubes, a few at a time, shaking to coat. In a large Dutch oven brown meat, half at a time, in hot oil. Return all meat to Dutch oven; add onion, garlic, and thyme. Stir in vegetable juice, bouillon, worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce and water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover; simmer 1 1/4 hour or till meat is nearly tender. Stir in potatoes and carrots. Cover; simmer for 30 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper as needed.



Perfect winter meal. Serve with biscuits. A friend’s son calls this goulash. Call it whatever you want, but don’t forget that it is the Worcestershire sauce giving it that rich depth of flavor that cannot otherwise be achieved. Dig your bottle out of the refrigerator and start experimenting. It’s a wonderful compliment to any dish containing beef...and then some!