Tikkabik

So now that the cold weather is back I'm back to making stew, trying to find the right combination of herbs and spices and vegetables to make it just right. The stew I made last night was good, though I cooked it in a hurry and the meat was still really tough.

Anyway, what I've been doing is dice up onions and saute them in a bit of butter, then brown the stew meat. I pour in three or four cups of beef stock -- enough to cover the meat, plus a bit more, because the vegetables go in afterwards -- and some red wine. I'll season with bay leaf, salt and pepper -- just basic stuff, really. That and the tang of the wine really taste good together.

Vegetables go in next, after the meat's cooked a while and loosened up a bit, and to that end, I'm working with potatoes, carrots and celery -- just basic stuff, again. Cook until the potatoes are soft, and usually along the way someplace I'll throw in some flour, just to thicken up the mixture so you get that nice stick-to-your-ribs stew consistency

A thick crusty bread is a necessity, and while I've been unable to find a good replacement for the crusty, white italian four-corner bread that my aunt Ada used to bring to Christmas dinner, I've found some decent replacements -- even a good French baguette is suitable, as long as it's good at sopping up the juice.

Like I said, this is a pretty basic and straightforward stew recipe -- nothing fancy or extravagant. But I'm curious -- anyone have any particular secret ingredients they're willing to share that makes their stew stand out?