Emeril’s Stew Beef (well, my take on it. Minus the tomato paste, a little extra flour, and beef stock. IDK where he thought I was getting “veal” stock from, lol) and..I didnt use emeril’s seasoning…lawry’s with a little paprika and cayenne was just as good.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound button mushrooms, quartered
2 cups roughly chopped yellow onions
2 cups sliced carrots, (1-inch slices cut crosswise on a diagonal)
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon roughly chopped garlic
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 1/2 cups veal or beef stock, at room temperature
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
3 to 4 cups 1-inch dice russet potatoes
1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Steamed white rice or buttered egg noodles, for serving

Directions:

Set a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the pot and season the beef with the salt, Essence and black pepper, being sure to toss the meat well to evenly cover with the spices. Add 1/3 of the beef to the pot and cook until browned on all sides, 2 or 3 minutes per side. Remove the beef from the pot and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining olive oil to the pot along with half of the remaining meat and cook again until browned. Set aside and repeat with the remaining tablespoon of oil and remaining beef. Set aside.

Add the butter and mushrooms to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, about 3 minutes. Add the onions, carrots and celery and saute until onions are softened and lightly caramelized, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes. Add the stock, tomato paste, thyme, rosemary, allspice and browned beef and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, partially cover the pot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender, about 1 hour. Add the potatoes to the stew and partially cover the pot with a lid. Continue cooking until the potatoes are very tender, about 30 minutes. Remove the lid and discard the thyme and rosemary stems. Add the peas and parsley to the stew, stir well to combine, then remove from the heat. Serve hot, with either steamed white rice or buttered egg noodles.

Emeril’s ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

                                      

Dish Ingredients:
8 chicken breast (boneless, skinless)
8 cups chicken broth
1/2 bunch thyme
1 bay leaf

Dumpling Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ tbsp baking powder
1 ½ cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons salted butter
1 ½ tablespoon finely chopped parsley leaves
1 ½ teaspoon finely chopped thyme leaves
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups onions
3 cups carrots, big chunks
3 cups ribs celery, big chunks
3 cloves finely chopped garlic

Directions:
Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
In a skillet, pan fry breasts in Olive oil, remove from pan, and set aside.
In a very large saucepan or Dutch oven, combine chicken broth, thyme, and bay leaf to cover. Turn on heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes. (Usually, this meal is done with a whole chicken and the chicken is cooked with the stock but since I did boneless white meat, I decided not to risk overcooking or drying out) After it cools, cut into large bite-sized pieces. Add broth from pan to dutch oven.
Discard the thyme and bay leaf.

Homemade Dumplings:
Add flour, salt and pepper, to taste, and baking powder to a large bowl and whisk together. (You should be able to see the pepper. It makes a HUGE difference in the flavor of the dumplings. ) In a small saucepan, bring heavy cream, butter and herbs to a low simmer then add to the dry ingredients. Stir with a rubber spatula until combined. Using your hands, form dough into dumplings.

Reheat skillet used for chicken over medium heat and add oil. Once oil is hot, add onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Season veggies with salt and pepper. Sauté until soft, 7-10 minutes. Add vegetables to dutch oven. Add dumplings 1 at a time into the simmering soup. Cover pan with a lid and cook for 30 – 40 minutes. Add chicken to soup (just to reheat) and continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste, if necessary. Garnish with parsley flakes.

Note: I’ve done this once with skinless chicken thighs (at the request of my diners) and I recommend baking it rather than poaching it. It retained that good juiciness that only the pleasure of thick thighs can give you. : )