Is It Soup Yet?

The weather man says that winter will be here this weekend and I know that some of you have already had your first snows of the season.  Here is a hearty stew that will not only warm you up, but will use some of your left over pumpkins and the wild game that will filling up your freezers.

The original recipe calls for Beef and Butternut Squash, but I recently made this with Elk Steak and it was delicious!  I have also made it with Pumpkin, instead of squash, with great results!  This is a very thick stew that thickens even more when you serve it as leftovers.  You can add more broth to it as you like.  As leftovers, we had it over pasta one night and over mashed potatoes one night.

(Note:  As always, Green text are Olivelle recipes that I will share. Green text within a recipe are ingredients that can be purchased from Olivelle locally or on the website http://www.olivelle.com/ )


Beef, Barley and Butternut Squash Stew
(Chef Elizabeth "Biz" Zimney)

1 3/4 pound beef chuck (elk, deer, antelope, etc) cut into 1"cubes
Sel Gris Sea Salt and Fresh Ground  Black Pepper to taste ~ (I used Merlot Sea Salt)*
6 Tbsp Flour
1 Tbsp Butter
4-6 Tbsp Avocado Oil
2 Large Leeks, halved and thinly sliced ~ (I used 1 yellow onion, diced)*
2 Medium Carrots, diced
2 Medium Celery Stalks, Chopped ~ (I used 2 small white turnips and 1 small zucchini, diced)*
1 C Sauvignon Blanc ~ (I used 1 Beer)*
2/3 C Barley
6 Cups Chicken Broth ~ (I used beef broth)*
1 T NoMu Roast Rub or NoMuAfrican Rub ~ (I used NoMuAll-For-One Rub)*
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 sm butternut squash (winter squash or Pumpkin) peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2 " cubes
1/4 C Flat Leaf Parsley
1/4 C Half and Half

1. Heat 1/2 oil in dutch oven
2. Toss meat cubes with 1 tsp. of Salt, Pepper and 4 Tbsp Flour
3. Brown meat on all sides.  Remove from pan and set aside.
4. Heat remaining oil.  Saute leeks, celery and any root vegetables with a pinch of salt until tender.
5. Heat oven to 350 Degrees
6. Add wine (or beer) and barley, scrapping up "fond"** and simmer until liquid has evaporated.
7. Stir in remaining flour and cook for 1 minute.
8. Stir in 2 Cups of broth until liquid is smooth, then add remaining broth, rub and nutmeg.
9. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and cover pot snugly (using foil if necessary).
10. Braise in oven until beef is tender (about 1 hour).
11. Stir in squash, re-cover and continue braising until squash is tender (about 1/2 hour).
12. Stir in parsley and Half and Half.
Season to taste with Salt and Pepper


*Use what you have!  As you can see, I made numerous substitutions, not because I was trying to be creative, but because that is what I had on hand!  If you do not have everything on a recipe, look through your cupboards and refrigerator. You will be surprised what you can come up with and still have a wonderful meal!


** "Fond" is the cooked on bits of food that sticks to the bottom of your pan.  Scrape it up when adding the liquid as it hold a lot of flavor that will enhance your stew!

Stay warm and Enjoy... It's SOUP!