New Year’s : Deck the Stew With Cranberries

In spite of--or perhaps because of--the holiday bustle, we tend to want to have friends over while the house looks festive. The challenge in an impromptu evening of relaxed food and conversation is cooking an easy menu that reflects the season.

Consider the following easy, informal meal. The “lazy person’s” holiday stew is the focus of the menu. Unlike the usual stew in which meat is browned, vegetables are sauteed and the pan is deglazed, all the ingredients are simply mixed and put in the oven until done. It really should be made a day ahead, to allow the flavors to develop.

The mushroom noodles, which can also be done ahead, are a perfect accompaniment. The herb-crusted popovers are last-minute but easy.

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Let the rest of the food be laissez-faire. Spiced nuts with drinks, sweet butter for the popovers and for dessert, Christmas cookies, or other holiday sweets.

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Dried cranberries give a sweet-tart finish to this robust, comforting stew.

LAZY PERSON’S HOLIDAY BEEF STEW

2 pounds lean stewing beef, cut into 1 1/4-inch cubes

3 tablespoons flour

1 1/4 teaspoons dried thyme leaves

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 large bulb fennel, trimmed, cut into 12 wedges

9 small boiling onions

2 large cloves garlic, minced

Scant 1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 1/4 to 1 3/4 cups beef broth

1/2 cup ruby Port wine

2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives or minced parsley

Mushroom Noodles

Put beef, flour, thyme, salt and pepper to taste in large plastic food bag. Shake bag to coat beef. Transfer contents of bag including loose flour and seasonings to 4-quart casserole with lid.

Combine fennel, onions, garlic and cranberries in large bowl. Gently toss to mix. Add mixture to casserole, distributing evenly.

Combine 1 1/4 cups beef broth with wine in small bowl. Pour over stew.

Bake, covered, until beef is fork-tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. If after 2 hours there is too much liquid in casserole, remove cover last 1/2 hour. Remove casserole and let stew cool, loosely covered, at room temperature. Gently toss to mix. Refrigerate up to 3 days, but at least overnight for best eating. Let stew come to room temperature before reheating.

To reheat, cover and place on center oven rack and bake at 350 degrees until hot, about 30 minutes. Add more broth if needed, but wait until stew juices are running before deciding. Adjust seasonings to taste. Spoon stew around edge of large, warm platter. Garnish with chives. Fill center of platter with Mushroom Noodles. Serve hot. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving, without mushroom noodles, contains about:

259 calories; 637 mg sodium; 65 mg cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 28 grams protein; 0.32 grams fiber.

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These noodles are flavorful enough to be served separate from the stew, rather than under it, as noodles usually are. Wild mushrooms can be substituted for the cultivated mushrooms. The noodles are also a great accompaniment for other beef entrees , game and poultry . They can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. Let them come to room temperature and reheat in microwave oven on FULL power or in non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, adding more broth as necessary.

MUSHROOM NOODLES

16 ounces broad egg noodles

2 tablespoons olive oil

16 large mushrooms, sliced

2 medium shallots, minced

1 cup beef broth (1/4 to 1/2 cup more if reheating)

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Prepare noodles according to package directions.

Heat oil in 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add mushrooms and shallots. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes, stirring often. Add 1 cup broth. Bring to boil. Simmer until mushrooms are just tender, about 3 minutes.

Add cooked noodles. Heat through. Stir in butter until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

365 calories; 184 mg sodium; 79 mg cholesterol; 11 grams fat; 55 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams protein; 0.37 grams fiber.

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Mincing the dried herbs with the flour in a food processor or blender distributes their flavor throughout the popover batter. Whichever way you do it, the herbs end up on top, forming a most delicious crust. Through side-by-side testing, I’ve found that preheating the popover pans is unnecessary.

HERB-CRUSTED POPOVERS

3/4 cup cake flour

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups milk

4 large eggs

Put flour, basil, oregano and salt in food processor fitted with metal blade or blender. Mix until herbs are pulverized. Add milk and eggs. Process just until combined.

Pour batter into buttered and lightly floured 6-cup popover pans, filling about 7/8 full.

Bake on center oven rack at 500 degrees 15 minutes. Do not open oven door during baking. Decrease heat to 350 degrees. Bake until popovers are very dark and crisp, about 35 minutes longer. Serve hot. Makes 6 popovers.

Each popover contains about:

130 calories; 269 mg sodium; 146 mg cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 0.07 grams fiber.