Like a Velvet Stew Cast in Iron
Beef stew last night with Cheryl, Brandon, Michelle, Shelley, Umut and Max. I tenderized the precut beef cubes using the ancient Chinese technique of velveting: marinated it overnight in soy sauce, baking soda and avocado oil. Normally you can velvet something in an hour or so but this looked like it was tough beef and I thought an overnight bath would be beneficial.
This had less than two hours to cook but it turned out super tender and tasty. Even the volunteers ate some at the end of the night.
Our stew consisted of beef, onions, garlic (sadly - from a jar), canned tomatoes, chili powder, pepper and oregano. Would have been nice to have carrots and mushrooms in there but we use what we have and 100 percent of the food we cook is donated. Served the stew with basmati rice and broccoli casserole that someone had donated hours earlier.
—Alex
