A hint of cocoa and spice

This is a stew was really supposed to be a gravy, not just any gravy but the gravy my grandma taught me and the one that I've made so many times that I could make it with a blindfold on.

Problem is there is pretty much just one step to this gravy and that's browning the meat really well. Grandma always said to "forget about it" meaning not fiddling with it but I think I literally forgot about it this time!

So what to do with the beautiful batch of stewing beef? .. well I tried to turn it into a stew.

Celery, Onions, Carrots, Mushrooms went in.

Tomatoes created a red base.

To spice things up I added cinnamon, cumin, garlic, oregano, toasted crushed sesame seeds (not sure why, but it was kind of an experiment)

The secret ingredient was cocoa powder, it really added a deep rich flavour. Next time you make a stew give it a try, add a tsp or tbsp of cocoa powder! You'll be pleasantly surprised.

So all in all the meal came together, and it tasted even better the next day (which is when I served it along side my sister's mashed potatoes)

We had brownies for dessert and instead of the ordinary chocolate brownies we always make I threw in a hint of cinnamon, allspice, and ground clove, they were delicious!