This Country Beef Stew is quickly becoming a family favorite! It is a great lazy Saturday recipe to make when you are home and can let it simmer for a few hours, tending to it every so often but not standing at the stove or cutting board all day. It is simple and easy, yet elegant and surprisingly filling.
Many of the ingredients in this Country Beef Stew seem a little different than a traditional stew. I often don’t use green onion in recipes that cook for a long time. Tomatoes are just not as traditional, and kale and peas can easily be over powered or too fragile of vegetables. But when simmered down the kale and green onions blend into the sauce and create a complex flavor with lots of nutrients. I use frozen peas and they hold up surprisingly well. If you are worried about mushy peas, simply wait to add them at the very end.
This year we bought beef from two different local ranchers, so I began this recipe with mountain-raised, grass-fed beef. To say this cow was “pastured” doesn’t actually ring true because the cattle was raised high in the mountains with the bear and elk. Since our beef is a little more “game-y” and certainly lower in fat than beef you’d purchase from the store I stewed it for about 3.5 hours. If you use a nice cut of steak or COB-finished beef, you likely won’t need to cook it quite as long, so be sure to check the texture of the beef every so often. Over-stewed and dry meat is never pleasing.
I still don’t tolerate wine. Unfortunately. So, to help break down the beef, I used apple cider vinegar. When you first add it to the recipe and it cooks off, it produces are really sharp smell that may make you think this recipe isn’t worth continuing. But stick with it. Let it keep simmering with the broth and herbs and it will turn out fantastic! If you tolerate wine, you could certainly go with a simple red wine in replace of the vinegar, which would produce a very nice flavor. While, I haven’t yet tested it out, a famous chef has told me, straight up grape juice can replace wine in recipes. So you could also give that a try if the vinegar is too high in histamine for you and of course if you tolerate the juice.
This recipe is compatible with all of the SIBO diets, including Bi-Phasic, phase 1. And makes a hearty four servings. If you have non-SIBO family members like most of us do, then you can serve grilled cheese sandwiches as add-ons or even serve it over oven baked potatoes. Of course you could also keep it simple with some thick slices of aged cheese and a side of SIBO-friendly fruit.
Country Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1.5-2 lbs beef stew meat cut into large chunks
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 6-8 cups bone broth
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 inch diameter of fresh thyme tied into a bunch
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 4 large carrots
- 1 cup green peas (frozen works just fine)
- 4 green oinons
- 26 ounces chopped tomato (I used Pomi brand)
- 3 large kale leaves
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
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Place the stew meat into a large bowl and sprinkle with the ground cloves and salt. Massage into the meat to cover each peice.
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Place the olive oil into a large soup pot and heat until hot.
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Add the meat and braise- cook on high until the sides begin to brown and form a crust. About 2 minutes on each side. Do not burn.
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Add 1 cup of bone broth, the thyme, bay leaves and apple cider vinegar.
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Bring to a boil and let simmer for 90 minutes. (This will smell really strong with the spices and vinegar but it boils down to create a base for great flavor that gets diluted to perfection later on.) Be sure to add additional broth as needed to keep the meat stewing over the 90 minutes. The meat should be 1/3 to 1/2 of the way covered in broth.
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Chop the carrots into large pieces, about 1 inch. Chop up the remaining vegetables.
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Remove the cooked thyme and bay leaves and discared. Add the carrots and cook another 30 minutes. Add more broth as needed.
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Add the remaining vegetables and herbs. Cook for 20 minutes until the veggies have begun to soften.
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Add the remaining broth and cook another 20-60 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and the kale has broken down to thicken the sauce and the meat has reached the desired tenderness.
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Serve hot.
Elisha M Boatman says
I just made this yesterday for Saint Patrick’s Day and it was AMAZING. Especially because yesterday was a chilly drizzly day here in Maine, perfect weather for stew. I followed the recipe exactly. It took a while to cook but wasn’t labor intensive which is a plus. It came out so tender. Using home made bone broth gave it such flavor. Yum!! Thanks for this recipe!!