I had defrosted a tri-tip roast. Had it waited in the freezer a bit too long? I stumbled through the rain to my small brick oven and smoked the beef for a couple of hours.

Transferred it to the kitchen oven to finish the process at 325 degrees. Ninety minutes later, it sweated on the countertop. Sliced, medium rare, it was flavorful but a bit tough.

Up early, I began to make beef stock with the leftover roast in mind — slow simmered for two hours. Out of this came a superb beef stew, those little chunks of yesterday’s roast, soft and flavorful.

Homemade beef stock

Ingredients

• 3 quarts water

• Leftover beef bones, or substitute with beef stock paste, 4

to 5 tablespoons

• Two carrots, in large pieces

• Three stalks of celery, in large pieces

• One whole onion, quartered

• 1/2 cup parsley, stalks and all

• 2 tablespoons soybean paste

• 2 tablespoons curry paste

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

• 1 cup red wine

• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger skins

The beef stew

Ingredients

• 2 quarts beef stock, strained

• 3 cups beef chunks, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

• One whole red or yellow pepper, medium chopped

• One small onion, small chopped

• Two stalks celery, small chopped

• Eight small mushrooms, quartered

• 12 cherry tomatoes, halved

• 2 cups kale, medium chopped

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 level teaspoon herbes de Provence

• 12 potato pierogies, soft boiled last minute until al dente

• Corn starch slurry, 3 tablespoons powder with 1/4 cup water

• Red chili flakes, to taste

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• 1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)

Directions

Heat the strained stock. Halve and cut the carrots on the bias into small 1/4-inch pieces. Simmer them in the stock until al dente. Saute the onion, celery and mushrooms separately in olive oil and add to the pot. Add the chunks of beef and slow simmer for an hour or until they are tender.

At the last minute, fold in halved cherry tomatoes and kale. Season with chili flakes, soy sauce and dried herbes de Provence. Add cream for taste and smoothness if desired.

I served the stew over potato and cheese pierogi, a wonderful combination that will forever remind me of Chinook’s Lottie Gillespie and her handmade bacon and cheese-filled pierogi.