There are two different kinds of iron - heme and non heme. Heme is a blood source (Meat) and non heme is a vegetable source. Both are excellent and valuable to good health but when your iron is as low as mine is/was they recommend Heme to get it up fast. The strange thing is...ever since I found out I have an iron issue....I have been craving red meat like crazy! It isn't something I want often....don't get me wrong, I love a good burger as much as the next guy (maybe not as much as Big Daddy) but we eat quite a few vegetarian meals here a week. We really aren't that 'meatcentric'. Now I want beef!! A hot beef injection!!........what? name the movie! I decided that some beef stew might help.

6 strips of good bacon, sliced into small strips (organic $2)
1 1/2-2 lbs stewing beef ($16, organic and I didn't get it on sale this time), patted dry and salt and pepper'd
4 carrots, peeled and sliced into bite size pieces (organic $1.50)

2 yellow onions, diced (organic $2)
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced (organic $0.50)
1/2 bottle of full bodied red wine ($5.00)
2 tetra packs of beef stock (organic $6)
1 1/2 cups sweet peas (organic frozen $1.50)
2 tbsps or 1/2 can of tomato paste (organic $1.50)
1 tbsp dijon mustard (organic $0.25)
2 bay leafs, crumbled
1/2 tsp thyme
1 cup of water
salt and pepper
TOTAL - $39.25, approx 6-8 servings depending on kids appetites, so between $6.54-$4.90 a serving.
Optional - mushrooms
This is one of the few dishes that I recommend doing all the mis en plas (prep) for before you start cooking because once you are cooking there is no stopping.

Over medium high heat brown your bacon in a large soup pot. Cook it until crispy letting much of the fat render out of the bacon. Remove to papertowel with a slotted spoon leaving the fat in the pot. Turn the heat up to high, you want the fat to start to smoke, then in batches brown the meat. If you cook too many pieces at a time it creates too much moisture in the pot and some of the meat will not brown but steam. They shouldn't touch each other. When browned remove with tongs to the plate with the bacon. When all the meat is browned, turn heat back down to medium high.

When the garlic starts to soften and you can really smell it add 1/2 the called for wine. I recommend half because you want to de-glaze the pan of all the crispy bits of meat stuck to it. The brown bottom also adds the dark rich colour to the broth that we know stews to have. Add back in the beef and bacon and the rest of the wine. Add the beef stock, water, mustard, tomato paste, the thyme and the bay leaf. Let this come to a simmer.

Let this slowly simmer for an hour or two.....or longer really. Stewing beef needs that slow simmer to soften and get melty. If it seems the broth is getting to thick and cooking down too much add in another cup of water. Add in the potatoes about an hour before you plan on serving it and let them cook in the low heat. Add in the peas for the last 15 minutes. Enjoy!
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