The original recipe that appears in my book, Cherries in Winter: My Family's Recipe for Hope in Hard Times is something of a template, a very basic beef stew that allowed for variations. For example, my Nana's recipe didn't call for beef stock cubes, but I find they really boost the flavor. I also added more garlic because I love it. You could add half a cup of red wine if you're going to put it in a slow cooker on low for a few hours and let the wine and meat juices mingle. And you can add beans instead of peas—or in addition to peas! Everyone in my family took this recipe and made it her or his own, and I invite you to do the same.

Ingredients

　　1/2 cup flour

　　1 teaspoon salt

　　1/4 teaspoon pepper

　　2 pounds stew beef, cubed

　　3 teaspoons olive oil or butter

　　1 bay leaf

　　1 clove garlic, smashed

　　1 beef stock cube

　　1 pound small onions

　　6 carrots, sliced

　　3 medium-size potatoes, quartered

　　1 package frozen peas

　　Mix flour, salt, and pepper in a bowl and coat each piece of beef with it. Heat olive oil or butter in a heavy pot or Dutch oven and brown the meat over moderate heat. Remove meat as necessary to brown remaining meat. Return all meat to the pot. Dissolve beef stock cube in 2 cups boiling water and add to pot with meat. Add bay leaf and garlic and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer slowly until the meat is tender. Add onions, carrots, and potatoes; stir to mix ingredients, and cook for 10 minutes. Add peas, and continue simmering until the meat and vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Nutrition Per Serving

　　80.0 calories from fat

　　9.0g total fat

　　4.0g saturated fat

　　200.0mg cholesterol

　　790.0mg sodium

　　23.0g total carbs

　　7.0g dietary fiber

　　11.0g sugars

　　48.0g protein

　　#### Nutritional analysis provided by [TasteBook

　　using the USDA Nutrition Database]( )

　　From Cherries in Winter: My Family's Recipe for Hope in Hard Times by Suzan Colón. Copyright © 2009 by Suzan Colón. Published by Doubleday. All Rights Reserved.Suzan Colón is a contributing writer and editor for O, The Oprah Magazine. Her articles have appeared in Marie Claire, Harper's Bazaar, Rolling Stone, Details, and other magazines. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, Nathan.