Yummy Workshop

Ingre­di­ents

Soup
• 1½ lbs bone­less beef for stew, trimmed and cut into 1 inch (2.5cm) chunks
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• 6 cups beef stock
• 1 but­ter­nut squash (about 1½/750g), peeled and cut into ½-inch (1cm) dice
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
But­tery Croutons
• 3 cups cubed rus­tic white bread (½-inch/1cm cubes)
• ¼ cup unsalted butter
• ½ tsp salt

Method

Soup:
1. Sea­son beef with salt and pep­per to taste. In a large pot, heat 1 tbsp (15 mL) of oil over medium-high heat. Add beef in two batches, and sauté until browned on all sides, about 5 min­utes per batch, adding oil as needed between batches. Remove with slot­ted spoon to a warm plate.
2. Reduce heat to medium and add onions to the pot; sauté until just browned, about 5 min­utes. Add bay leaves and thyme; sauté for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium, return beef and any accum­lated juices to the pot and add stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and sim­mer until beef is ten­der and eas­ily pulled apart, 1½ to 2 hours.
3. Mean­while, pre­heat oven to 425°F (220°C). On bak­ing sheet, com­bine squash, the remain­ing olive oil, salt and pep­per; toss to coat evenly and spread in a sin­gle layer. Roast, turn­ing occa­sion­ally, until just ten­der and browned in spots, about 40 minutes.
4. Remove beef from pot with a slot­ted spoon and, using two forks, pull about into bite-size shreds. Dis­card any fat and gris­tle. Return beef to the pot and add roasted squash; sim­mer for 10 min­utes to blend the flavours. Dis­card bay leaves. Taste and adjust sea­son­ing with salt and pep­per, if neccesary.
5. Ladle into heated bowl and gar­nish off with croutons.
But­tery Croutons:
6. Pre­heat oven to 400°F (200°C) On bak­ing sheet, com­bine bread, but­ter and salt; toss to coat evenly and spread in a sin­gle layer. Bake, stir­ring once, until crisp, about 10 min­utes. Let cool on sheet on a wire rack an use within 3 hours.

Notes