An easy fall stew epitomizes the wonderful simplicity of Donna Hay recipes

Do you know who Donna Hay is? If you don't, you should look her up! She has published numerous cookbooks over the years, and also publishes a wonderful magazine. Donna Hay's recipes are wonderful, simple yet elegant, and, as a bonus, her recipes turn out well! Up until last week, I only owned her Modern Classic book. Then I saw her new book, entitled Seasons, and I knew right away that I had to have it. Of course, I put off buying it for awhile (do I really, really need another cookbook?), and then I caved and I purchased it (I always need another cookbook!). I am pretty sure this was another great investment. This book, like all of Donna Hay's others, is filled with short and simple recipes that are absolutely delicious. And, in keeping with the style of her previous book, every recipe page actually contains about 4 recipes! Her books are bursting with recipes, and lots of lovely photos too.

What's interesting about Seasons is that Donna Hay has organized the book into seasons (kind of obvious based on the title). So each section is a season, and therefore is filled with seasonal recipes. Within each season, the recipes are organized according to the type of recipe, whether savory or sweet.

Since we are mid-October, I flipped directly to the Autumn section, and I decided that the first recipe I would try is for a beef, onion and red wine pie. I changed the recipe a little (not that it needed it), by adding in button mushrooms and a small package of pearl onions. I used white wine instead of red wine (a faux-pas for some, but not for me) because I only had white on hand. I also did not make a pie. Instead, I served the beef and onion mixture as a stew, with golden strips of baked puff pastry on the side.





Here's my recipe, adapted from Seasons by Donna Hay:



Easy beef stew



Serves 4?6

olive oil
1 kg beef chuck, cubed
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 package (227 grams) button mushrooms, halved or quartered depending on their size
1 package (I think it was 1 pound) frozen pearl onions
1 1/2 cups beef stock
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup white wine
1 tsp crushed bay leaves
1 tbsp thyme
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup water, extra to make slurry
1 block of puff pastry, thawed
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat.
Coat with oil, and add the beef (in batches) to brown it.
Then add the onion and cook until it is translucent.
Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for another minute or so.
Add the pearl onions, stock, water, wine, and spices.
Simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until the beef is tender.
While the stew is simmering, preheat the oven to 400°F.
Roll out the puff pastry and cut into 6?8 strips.
Bake for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown and perfectly puffed.
Prepare a slurry of cornstarch and water.
Add to the simmering beef stew and simmer, stirring, until it is thickened (a couple minutes).
Serve ladle-fulls of the stew with the golden strips of puff pastry.
I adored this stew recipe, and so did my parents (even my dad!). See:





This stew is simple, warming on a cold, fall evening. It tastes exactly like what I want beef stew to taste like. And, to top it all off, the recipe is made from ingredients that you are sure to have on hand. In fact, all the recipes are made with readily available ingredients! I am officially in love with my latest cookbook.