beef and gravy

i really don't know what to call this dish. growing up at home, my mom would buy stew beef and cook it in a crock pot all night with water. we fished it out of the water and dumped it on some rice. adam calls it beef tips and gravy.

it's basically chunks of beef that you are looking for. sometimes it says stew meat. i used 2 lbs.

this takes a long time and you need a dutch oven.

generously sprinkle house seasoning (onion and garlic powder, salt and pepper) on top of all of the meat. heat a dutch oven with a little oil in the bottom to medium. brown the meat in segments starting with the seasoned side down. don't crowd the pot. season the top and flip after about 3 minutes. remove. continue until all beef is browned. there will be lots of good brown bits in the bottom of the pot. dump in 2 garlic cloves chopped and half an onion. it doesn't matter how you chop it because it is for flavor and pretty much melts. add about 3 cups of water and scrape the bits off the bottom. add the meat back to the pot and add more house seasoning (to taste) and a little dried rosemary and thyme. cover tightly and turn down to simmer. you can simmer it forever if you would like, but i'd make sure to give it at least 2 hours. today i let it simmer from 12 until about 4:30.

about 30 minutes before dinner start making some white rice. i made about 6 cups to go with 2 lbs of meat. we have leftovers. follow the directions on the box. mix about 1/4 cup of cornstarch with 1/2 cup water. bring the meat back to a boil and push the meat to the side. add the cornstarch mixture and stir about 1 minute while continuing to boil. the sauce will thicken. at this point the meat chunks will be falling apart. i just use the back of a spoon to press them and they fall apart.

put rice on a plate and top with beef and gravy.

because you need something green i served this with asparagus that i roasted in the oven (400 for 15 minutes) with garlic, salt and pepper.

adam always requests this dish. i love it too, but i consider it a fall/winter dish. we missed it though, so i made it and it was well worth it. i like to try to find the onion and garlic while i am eating. i never can. i have no idea where it goes.