This is a recipe given to me by Michael Lenagar from Neola Farms, a local black angus beef farmer who attends the Memphis Farmer’s Market. I’ve eaten nothing but his beef since discovering him here when the market began. This is a great stew!

Here’s the recipe:

Makes 6 – 8 Servings

• 1½lbs Beef Stew Meat cut in 1” cubes
• 2 tblsp Flour
• 1tsp Salt
• 2 tblsp Oil
• 1½ cups Strong Coffee
• 2 tblsp Molasses
• 1 clove Minced Garlic (I used chopped fresh)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1tsp Worcester Sauce
• ½tsp dried Oregano crushed
• 1/8th tsp Cayenne Pepper (I used an entire dried red chili)
• 1½ cups water
• 4 carrots cut in 1/2” slices
• 4 small onions quartered
• 3 medium potatoes peeled and cut up (I used two potatoes and a parsnip)
• ¼ cup cold water
• 3 tblsp Flour
• I added a couple of bay leaves too.

Coat the beef cubes with a mixture of 2tblsp flour & 1 tsp salt. In a dutch oven brown meat on all sides in hot oil. Stir in coffee, molasses, garlic, Oregano. Cayenne,1 tsp salt, worcestershire sauce. Cover & simmer over a low heat until the meat is tender, about 30mins. Blend ¼ cup cold water in to 3tblsp flour,add to the stew mixture. Cook and stir until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Serve in bowls. Great served with hot cornbread muffins.

Shiitake Mushroom Pasta

Very pleased to have got to the little pre-farmer’s market drop-off today. Picked up some lovely shiitake mushrooms, sweet red onions, a couple of varieties of baby lettuce, mustard spinach, and half a dozen eggs. Shopping doesn’t get better than this! I love the excitement of buying fresh stuff straight from the farmer’s, and I’m subsequently consumed by the potential it tempts upon my culinary imagination.

Well, today was this: Shiitake mushroom, sweet onion, garlic, sage and thyme cream sauce with spaghetti and grated parmesan.

It turned out very light and incredibly fresh, a testament to the ingredients more than to the chef.