COWBOY STEW

Every once in a while, I get an assignment that makes me say, “what the …? This is what happened last week.

I received a call last week from the vice president of marketing of Sea Ray Corporation in Knoxville, Tennessee. He had a Hollywood VIP client who needed instruction in two days on a Sea Ray 310 which was being trucked from California to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

 

Jackson Lake, 45 miles north of Jackson Hole, is a 15 mile long high altitude (6774 ft.) lake that parallels the base of the Grand Teton Mountains. The boating was beautiful, but what I really enjoyed on this trip was the food. Buffalo burgers. Elk tips fondue. Venison tenderloin. The food took me back to my childhood when I would spend summers on my maternal grand-parent’s two cattle ranches in Wyoming. Ranch house and chuck wagon faire proves to be a hearty welcome after a day’s ride moving cattle from section to section. It is with this memory that I present the Cowboy Stew. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, a casserole dish will do just fine.

 

Ingredients:

1 pound of cubed stew meat

2 teaspoons meat tenderizer (non-MSG)

2 tablespoons of sage

1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 envelope of dry onion soup mix

1 (16 ounce) package frozen stew vegetables

1 (10 ounce) can crescent dinner rolls

Preperation:

In a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, sprinkle the meat tenderizer over the meant and cook until browned. Drain off any excess juices. In a small bowl, mix the sage, chicken broth, condensed soup and onion soup mix. Pour over the meat reducing heat to medium low and simmer for 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Add frozen stew vegetables to the skillet and simmer 10 minutes more. Unroll the crescent dough and arrange over the stew in a pie shape.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and serve.

Yelling YEE-HAW is optional. Enjoy, JW