Lil B is working lots of 5 pm shifts at his part time job, including Sunday AND Monday this weekend, which was the long weekend in Canada. I'm STILL puzzled why we get our long weekend before the States, when it typically warms up earlier in the States (we had snow Saturday! which even for us is unusually late). But that's another question.

Today's  question is for the professionals, and gifted amateurs on OS. 

 Lil B likes me to make stews  so that he can warm up a bowl before work. I appreciate this preference for 'real food' over junk*. Normally, my carrots in the stew turn out fork tender like the other veggies (but you'll wanna use a spoon). This time, they are a little firmer . Not hard. They are cooked, just firm. I don't want them mushy, but wondered what happened here, since I pretty much cooked the stew as I always did - six hours in the slow cooker on "low". My "recipe" was a variation this week, but I vary it almost every time I do stew, so that variable is normal.

 The "recipe" is set out below.

 I'd appreciate any helpful tips, or even just reassurance that a little bite in the carrots does not make a stew less successful. 

THIS WEEK'S CURRIED BEEF VARIATION ON "THE STEW"

 1 can (14 oz?) stewed tomatoes

one leek, sliced

two carrots, diced

three potatoes, diced

one parsnip, diced

two (or three?) stalks celery, chopped

the half the red pepper left from earlier in the week, roughly chopped

the half green pepper, ditto

one cup beef broth

one cup red wine, leftover 

add curry and black pepper

mix in slow cooker

chop two onions (they were small)

brown about two pounds quality beef in bite sized chunks (nicely chopped by butcher, substituting a higher quality, and cutting to order because he was out of the usual) in garlic butter with onions, a bit at a time. Flavour with black pepper and curry.

dredge browned beef in artisan stone ground  whole wheat flourand then  add to pot. 

add any surplus onion.

heat another cup of beef broth, dissolve in a heaping tablespoon of corn starch, mix into pot.

another cup of wine for good cheer

two bay leaves.

more curry

more pepper.

* Department of "can't win" ... I asked lil B if it was too soon for another batch of stew, since he just had finished the last batch on Thursday. he said " No, I love stew, just make it different". The last batch was chicken with herbes du provence. It was tasty, but the sauce was runny, like a Rachael Ray stoup more than a stew. This time, he complained "It tastes too much like curry. I liked the last batch better". Mid sized B, who is NOT a fan of stews, but IS a fan of curry, said "all the stews taste the same". I thought it had a nice heat from the curry, and the beef was more robust than the usual chicken, or one time lamb. In fact, except for the carrots, it might be my best stew ever. Definitely NOT the same as other attempts.

And, no, I don't have a picture...still no camera.