Bankruptcy Stew (A recipe)

Not to in any way diminish the real suffering that is going on in this country with 401ks flatlining, houses being foreclosed upon and people losing their jobs... I thought publishing my Bankruptcy Stew recipe might actually take a few minds off the economy.

Ingredients:

1 lb. cheap beef, cut into cubes
2 TB extra virgin olive oil
8 to 10 cups of water
3 cubes of Knorr Suiza Chicken Bouillion (These are gluten free)
2 TB dry sherry
2 TB Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
2 bay leaves, whole
2 teaspoons minced, roasted garlic
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 cup peeled, baby carrots
2 cups unpeeled, fingerling potatoes left whole (these are baby potatoes)
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 medium sized fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 cup wheat flour  (For Gluten free use 1/2 cup Tapioca flour and 1/2 cup White Rice Flour)

Directions:

Wash and  pat meat dry.  Cut off any fatty pieces and discard.  Mix flour, salt and pepper and dredge meat in the flour, covering all sides lightly.  Heat the olive oil in a skillet on medium high and sear the floured meat on all sides until it has slightly browned.  Add the water, meat, bouillion, sherry, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves and garlic to a stockpot.  Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for two hours.

Add the carrots, onions and celery to the pot and cook, simmering, for another 1/2 hour.  Then add the potatoes and tomatoes and cook until the potatoes are just tender when pierced with a fork, or about another 20 minutes.  The broth of this stew is light, but if you would like to thicken it up like gravy, mix 4 tablespoons of flour with 1/2 cup of cold water and whisk until there are no lumps.  Add this to the stew during the last twenty minutes of cooking and it will thicken up considerably.  This stew serves six generously and eight lightly.  I limit the meat in this dish to about a three ounce serving per person, but feel free to double the beef if all your investments are not in bank stocks or derivatives.