Beef and Butternut Squash Stew

The weather is so sneaky. It had just barely started to warm up here last week, and now it's back to freezing again. After spending a few days in sunny Orlando, I was beginning to think that winter might just be heading out the door. Ha! It doesn't look like the coldness will be leaving us anytime soon. Plus, we are headed back up to Toronto this coming weekend, so I have a feeling we will be getting more than our fair share of winter weather.

The one (and pretty much only) good thing about the chilly weather is that you get to sit in the comfort of your heated home eating soul satisfying soups and stews. That's exactly how I plan to cope the next few months. So I decided to give another one of Giada's soup recipes a try after my last attempt didn't go so well. I've had this bookmarked for forever and am so glad that I finally tried it. It is very hardy with big, beautiful chunks of butternut squash. The sweet squash, savory meat, tangy sun-dried tomatoes and herb combo make for a very unique flavor. This dish just feels special because of how many layers of flavor it has. You would never know that it was easypeasy to whip up. This is also pretty economical for those of you who aren't so sure the stimulus bill will pull us out of this funk.

Beef and Butternut Squash Stew

Adapted from Everyday Italian - Giada De Laurentiis

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced

2 pounds of stew beef, cut into 2-inch cubes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons AP flour

1 cup Marsala wine

1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes

1/4 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

3-4 cups beef broth

2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped

rice, optional

• Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.
• Add onions, garlic, rosemary and thyme and saute for about 2 minutes, or until the onions have begun to soften.
• Toss beef with salt, pepper and flour, then place in pot over medium-high heat.
• Cook beef until browned, about 5 minutes.
• Add wine, and using a spoon, stir-up the browned bits on the bottom of the pot.
• Add squash and tomatoes.
• Add just enough broth to cover the squash.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour.
• Adjust salt and pepper to taste, garnish with parsley and serve over rice, if desired.