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Philly Cheesecake Stew in Sourdough Bread Bowls foodiewithfamily.com #ComfortFood #Stew

Philly Cheesesteak Stew

Rebecca Lindamood
Rich beef gravy full of seasoned beef browned in butter, caramelized onions, and sautéed mushrooms in a crusty sourdough bread bowl, topped with cheese, broiled until bubbly, and served with a giant buttery crouton. Adapted gently from and with thanks to Barefeet in the Kitchen and The Cozy Apron.

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pounds beef top round
  • 3/4 teaspoon Kosher or Sea Salt plus extra
  • 3/4 teaspoon Cracked black pepper plus extra
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated onion divided
  • 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour divided
  • 3 tablespoons canola vegetable, or other neutral oil
  • 4 tablespoons butter divided
  • 2 onions trimmed of both ends, halved, peeled, and cut into thin half moons
  • 8-10 ounces white or baby bella mushrooms cremini, *See Notes, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 3 cloves garlic peeled and minced or pressed
  • 4 cups beef stock
  • 4 sourdough bread bowls centers cut out to within 3/4-inch of the bottom and sides and reserved for the crouton
  • 4 slices provolone cheese

Instructions
 

  • Cut the beef round into very thin slices that are about 1/2 an inch by 2 inches. Spread them out on the cutting board, sprinkle with the salt, cracked black pepper,, 3/4 teaspoon of the granulated onion, and 2 of the tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Toss together with your hands to make sure all the beef is evenly coated.
  • In a large soup pot with a heavy-bottom, warm 1 1/2 tablespoons of the canola oil over medium to medium high heat. Add the butter in and swirl to melt. Immediately scatter half of the beef (**See Notes) over the hot fat. Move it only enough to get more pieces in contact with the bottom of the pan. You're not going to stir it at this point. Let it cook without disturbing it for 2 minutes. Use a sturdy spoon to stir it and flip the pieces to the best of your ability, cook for 1 more minute, then use a slotted spoon to transfer to a heat safe bowl. Add the remaining oil and another tablespoon of butter as before and repeat the browning process with the rest of the beef. Transfer the cooked beef to the bowl and lightly tent with foil. Return the pan to the heat.
  • There should be a decent amount of fat still in the pan. If there isn't, add another teaspoon of butter or oil and toss in the onions along with a pinch of salt and a pinch of cracked black pepper. Drop the heat to medium low and cook the onions, stirring frequently, until they are soft and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Take care not to crisp or burn the onions. If you find they're browning too quickly, lower the heat.
  • Stir in the mushrooms with one more pinch of salt and cook for 6 more minutes. Add in the dried thyme and garlic and stir well. When the garlic is fragrant, sprinkle the flour over the surface of the onions and mushrooms. Stir well. It should become very pasty. Raise the heat to medium and let the mixture cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour the beef broth in all at once, stirring constantly, until it is smooth. Raise the heat to medium high and bring to a boil.
  • Let it boil for 2 minutes before adding in the cooked beef along with any accumulated juices and the remaining granulated onion. Drop the heat to LOW, once again, and simmer until the stew is thick and the beef is tender. Taste the stew and adjust seasonings, if needed.
  • Set your broiler for HIGH. Place the hollowed out bread bowls on a rimmed baking sheet. Butter the cut side of the caps of bread that you cut out of the bowls and set them next to the bowls on the baking sheet. Ladle the stew into the bowls, lay one slice of provolone cheese on top of each one, and place under the broiler until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned in areas. Use a large, flat spatula to transfer the stew filled bowls to individual serving plates and serve each one with its toasted bread cap.

Notes

*The size of the mushrooms will determine how you should slice them. If they are quite small, quartering them will be perfect. If they are medium to large in size, they should be halved from cap through stem, turned on the cut side, and thinly sliced. The end goal is bite sized mushrooms throughout the stew.
**If your soup pot has a smaller foot print, you may find it necessary to divide the beef into smaller batches for browning to prevent overcrowding the pan. This is fine! You can still add the fat to the pan as specified in the recipe, and in all likelihood, you will not have to add fat before browning the last batch.

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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