Irish Stew

Grandpa Dorton was Irish-Apache, and the Irish in him was a big fan of soups and stews. I used to cook a lot of soup for grandma and grandpa later in their lives, and I usually made or bought bread to accompany the soup, because after all, what good is soup without bread to sop up the broth? Irish stew is meant to be served with a hearty wheat bread, oat muffins, or a nice baguette.

Irish Stew

2 lbs. stew meat, cubed generously (This may be a chuck roast, or meat purchased under the somewhat ambiguous title "stew meat.")
1 very large onion—diced into big chunks
8 to 10 small new red potatoes; peeled & cut into chunks
2 or 3 medium carrots; peeled and cut into large chunks
2 stalks of celery, each cut into 3 pieces
6 cups of water

SEASONINGS:
4 beef bouillon cubes
4 garlic cloves, pressed (or 2 tsp. crushed garlic from a jar)
2 tsp. marjoram
2 Tblsp. parsley flakes
1 squirt of ketchup (no, seriously)

DESTRUCTIONS:

1. Ahead of time, you may want to put meat tenderizer on the beef, but you don't have to—the longer you let the stew simmer, the more tender the meat will get.
2. Brown meat in large pot or Dutch oven with a dab of olive oil. To sear meat, put pot on stove and allow to heat well (toss a small piece of meat in and listen for the "SSSSS!"—then, it's hot).
3. Chop onion into large chunks and add to meat. Mix around to distribute for even cooking. (most of the onion will disintegrate as it cooks, anyways)
4. Add garlic, marjoram, and parsley flakes; stir well. Let cook a while to blend the flavor of the seasonings.
5. Meanwhile, start peeling your potatoes. Cut them into cubes as large or small as you like. Add to meat in pot. Stir.
6. Cut your celery into chunks; usually about 3" long or so. Add to pot as well. Give it another stir.
7. Peel your carrots and chop them into chunks as large or small as you prefer. Give the pot another big stir.
8. Now you can add your bouillon cubes and water. The water should be enough to cover all of the meat and vegetables; if not, add more water 1/2 cup at a time.
9. Add the 'squirt' of catsup/ketchup. How much? Not so much that the stew turns red. Probably about 2 tablespoons.
10. Bring ingredients to a good boil—uncovered. Leave at a medium boil for 30 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning on the bottom (it helps if you have a non-stick pot).
    
11. Taste it! If it needs anything like salt, this would be the time to add it!
12. Turn heat way down and place lid on at a slight angle, so that it's not sealed. Let simmer for at least an hour. Keep an eye on it and stir occasionally.