Missing an ingredient? Improv class is in session and Ricardo is your substitute teacher. Anyone looking to balance a household food budget should make stews their best friend and improvise when fridge and pantry aren’t stocked with everything a recipe calls for. Stews are optimal for a couple of reasons: they stretch the flavours of inexpensive ingredients and extract the love out of cheaper, tougher cuts of meat. Our beef and vegetable stew is a winter classic, but you can also use this recipe as a blueprint.