Mahogany Stew -- Chuck Roast

I've been remiss in blogging about this, but a week or two ago I made Mahogany Stew recipe from Epicurious. I had defrosted a chuck roast and was looking for something interesting to make with it. I didn't want to do the standard crockpot and carrot roast. Googling turned up this stew -- it's similar to Beef Bourguingnon, but has hoisin sauce in it. I basically followed the stew recipe, though I did substitute beef broth for half of the wine.

It turned out quite tasty, although it was initially a bit too sweet. The reviews mentioned this problem, blaming it on the sugar in the hoisin sauce. However, to me, the extra sweetness really tasted of carrots. I simply added some soy sauce and salt to balance it out, and all was well.

While I did use a Chuck Roast for this recipe, it sort of seemed like a waste of a roast when I had already cut stew meat on hand. But the roast was defrosted and the stew meat was not, so that's what got used. It turned out very flavorful, kept well, and was enjoyed by the hubby.

In all, a success.