Really, nothing to eat?

I was very lazy lately..we went through a period of "whatever and anything" as answer to the age old question:"what are we going to eat today?" So it was a multiple repeat performances of everyday recipes, nothing special: a pasta dish today, some salad tomorrow and take out after that. Maybe it had to do with the oven still being broken.  I usually don't use it that much to cook everyday. But it's still a good excuse. Anyway that was our life for two or more weeks. Now I am back to work and this gave me some energy to think of something extra to have ready for when I come home. A good home cooked meal. I didn't go shopping for a while during the lazy period, but I am sure I have something in my freezer and my pantry to help me whip up something nice. Actually I found a beautiful cut of beef and some veggies...this could be the beginning of a delicious meal.

BEEF WITH CARROTS AND OLIVES

                                               

                                               

I remember cooking this dish years ago when I first got married and was trying to reduce my husband's intake of red meat. He ate it, probably to be nice to me, but then he gently made it clear that he prefers his steak big, in one piece, and medium rare. But lately he's been open to suggestions, so I thought maybe he will not object to it anymore. I like it because it has some vegetables in it and you can have it as a complete meal. Also when you cook beef on low heat you end up with moist and tender beef cubes that everybody will love, children and grownups alike. You'll need:

2 lb beef top round steak, 3/4 inch thick

1 medium onion cut into wedges, (or a large one if you love onions)

12 to 15 baby carrots, cut in half
1 garlic clove crushed and thinly sliced

1 can (6 oz) black pitted olives

1 to 2 tbsp flour

1 tbsp canola oil
1 cup red wine (optional) + 1 cup water, or 2 cups water or stock

Chopped parsley for garnish

Salt and pepper to taste

Cut the beef in 3/4 inch cubes and sprinkle them with salt and pepper and flour to lightly coat.
In a nonstick skillet cook the beef cubes in the oil on medium high heat until well browned on all sides. Add the garlic, stir and then add the wine if using it and the water (or stock). Stir and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat and let simmer for about 50 minutes. Add the onion wedges, the carrots and the olives. Let cook for another 40 minutes until meat and veggies are fork tender. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley. (Sorry, we were so hungry, they didn't give me time to do this last step. We're lucky I got to take a picture of the end result!!)
I served it with some bow-tie pasta with asparagus, mushrooms and carrots.

                                                   

It's very simple: cook the mushrooms in a drop of oil with 1/2 tbsp onion/garlic mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. When the mushrooms welt down, add the asparagus cut in the pasta size. Stir, then add 1 tbsp of water. Meanwhile cook the pasta in boiling salted water, and before it's done add the carrots. (You may want to slice them lengthwise). Drain the pasta, add it to the veggies, mix and transfer to a serving bowl.