Recipe: Winter Stew with Herbal Broth

During the coldest time of year, this stew with warming herbs, root vegetables, and a delicious broth will keep you cozy. Enjoy!

Ingredients

  • 1 lb of stew meat (beef or lamb)

  • 1 1/2 large yellow onions chopped + 1/2 sliced for the broth 

  • 4 stalks celery, chopped

  • 2 cups sliced carrot

  • 2 cups chopped red potatoes 

  • 1 - 2 Tbs fresh herbs of choice (I chose thyme)

  • 1 cup red wine (optional, replace with 2 Tbs. tomato paste if desired) 

  • High heat cooking oil

  • Medicinal mushrooms, seaweeds and/or other dried herbs for the broth

  • Salt and pepper to taste 

Instructions

  1. Start by trimming your meat and chopping it into 1/2 inch pieces. Once trimmed add the meat to an Instapot along with 1/2 onion and enough water to cover it all. Set the Instapot to pressure cook at low heat for 30 minutes. If you do not have an Instapot, use a slow cooker instead set to its lowest setting overnight. 

  2. While the meat simmers, prep your onion, celery, carrot and potatoes, being sure to keep the scraps for the broth.

  3. Once the meat is finished cooking and the pressure is released, remove it from the broth with a slotted spoon and set aside in the refrigerator.

  4. Keep the broth in the pot. Add in your leftover vegetable scraps such as onion skins and carrot ends as well as any medicinal herbs of choice. Turkey tail mushrooms, kelp and burdock root were my choices in order to create a hearty broth. Pressure cook the broth at high heat for 30 minutes in the Instapot. If you do not have an Instapot, prep this the day before in a slow cooker set to high heat for at least 5 hours. 

  5. Heat a large soup pot over medium heat and begin sautéing the onion and celery with your oil of choice (I chose ghee), salt and pepper. Cook until the onion has softened and become translucent. 

  6. While the onions are cooking, check your broth. Once the pressure is released, strain your broth through a fine strainer and set aside. 

  7. Next, add in the sliced carrots and chopped potatoes and continue to cook on medium heat for around 3 minutes or until the vegetables are heated through. 

  8. Now, add in 4 cups of your medicinal broth or enough to cover all the vegetables.

  9. Bring the pot to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are barely tender.

  10. Then, add in the 1 cup of red wine along with any fresh chopped herbs of choice such as thyme, rosemary or oregano. 

  11. Continue simmering until the vegetables are tender and the alcohol has evaporated. If you are swapping out the wine for tomato paste this is the time to add that as well.

Enjoy and stay warm!

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