Babs BookMark Issue 2 | Page 28

I feel like throwing in the pot. I’ve also tossed in leftover green beans and broccoli. This might not exactly be a traditional stew—more of a pot pie filling consistency—but my family loves it. THE CRUST: For the popover crust, you’ll need: one cup of flour one cup of milk two eggs a pinch of salt two tablespoons of butter Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. Butter: Grab your standard glass pie dish, put the butter in it and set it on the warming burner to melt while the oven pre-heats. If it’s not melted when you’re ready to pour in the batter, you can always put it in the microwave. Be careful if your burner is like mine and gets things super hot. Batter: Use a hand-mixer to blend the flour, milk, eggs, and salt. It will be runny, and that’s perfect. Scrape the sides of the bowl if needed and mix until most of the lumps are gone. IMPORTANT STEP: Swish around the melted butter to coat the sides of your pie dish, then place your pie dish on a cookie sheet. Trust me on this. Yorky Beef Stew loves to spit butter over the sides of the dish while baking, and the cookie sheet will save your oven and your home from smelling like burned butter. Next, set pan with pie dish on a level surface and slowly pour the batter into the center of the pie dish. If you see a ring of butter around the edge of the batter, you’ve completed this step perfectly. Then, ladle four to five large scoops (2 to 3 cups) of stew directly into the center of the batter. You’ll know you’ve added enough when the level of the batter is a ½ inch below the rim of the pie dish. The stew should not touch the edge of the pie dish. Your pie dish will look like a bullseye with a narrow outer ring of butter, a 1 to 2 inch band of batter, and a center filled with stew. [OPTIONAL: Save some of the stew in the pot—my husband wanted to make sure that I added this.] Carefully place everything in the 425 degree oven on the center rack and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.