Hi everyone, I hope this post finds you and yours in a great way having an amazing day. Normally at this time of the year, we’re in a deep freeze and I’m thinking about visiting family in Arizona. This year things are a bit different. This year our weather is up and down with crazy wild swings, today’s high is 45 degrees, tomorrow is 50 but on Friday we drop all the way down to 30 with a low of 13! For some of us, all this warming and cooling can wreak havoc on our bodies. I’m not a fan of really cold weather but I think I dislike fluctuations even worse. Sometimes it even seems colder inside because the temperature hasn’t dropped low enough for the heat to turn on and the air is damp and chilly. I like to walk around Rockland Lake and usually it looks like the icy picture below, but right now it’s looking like the picture next to it.
When these types of days occur I’m in need of something warming and hardy to keep me going. I love making (and eating) soups and stews. Today seems like a great day to make an easy and delicious beef stew. As with most stews, soups and sauces the flavors come together the next day but this simple stew recipe is good from the first day on. I find starting with fresh organic ingredients tastes better , but it’s ok to use what you have on hand or can find at your supermarket. The key to this stew is getting a really good beef bone broth. I love using organic beef bone broth, not only for its tastes but for its nutritional benefits. Bone broth is loaded with collagen and recent studies have shown that bone broth collagen contains all nine essential amino acids. These can not be made by your body and must be consumed through food. Four of these amino acids proline, glycine, glutamine and arginine have impressive healing properties and help in reducing inflammation in the body and can soothe your digestive tract. They also help in muscle growth and to strengthen your joints and tendons and help prevent loss of cartilage. If thats not enough collagen is also good for wrinkles!
If you use bone broth be sure to get organic bone broth or you’ll be drinking stuff I really don’t want to mention here. I have no affiliation with Kettle and Fire, but I like their stuff and it comes in many flavors, its expensive so you can opt for your stores brand if they sell organic. This simple recipe will get you on your way to warming you up and giving your body some goodness in the process.
- 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into cubes
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 carrots chopped
- 4 ribs of celery chopped
- 4-6 Yukon gold potatoes ( potatoes are optional but make it hardier)
- 2- 32 ounce cartons of organic beef bone broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil to brown the meat
- In a pot add olive oil (2 Tablespoons) and add beef , stirring under medium high heat until browned on all sides.
- Put the onions and garlic in the pot and cook until translucent.
- Add the carrots and celery and cook for about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the organic beef bone broth and bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes.
- Add the potatoes in the last 30 minutes of cooking. Total cooking time is about an hour but judge for yourself, the meat and potatoes should be tender.
- Add salt and pepper to taste
- serve with biscuits! recipe here
There are many variations of beef stew so feel free to add your own twist. Some like adding thyme or maybe rosemary. You can also use this recipe as a guideline and make it with chicken and chicken or turkey bone broth instead, but please buy organic versions of both if you do. This stew is easy to make and energizing during the colder months when you’re feeling dragged down by the weather and lack of sunshine. There’s plenty of literature on the web about the benefits of bone broth and I urge you to check them out. It seems the more we know, the more we find out out that eating the way our ancestors did is much better for us. I find that interesting and yet not surprising as they made everything from scratch.
I hope you give this recipe a try and if you have a recipe to share about bone broth please do so in the comment box below. As always any questions or comments are greatly appreciated and will be answered as soon as I can. Stay warm and healthy and until next time, Boone Appétit!
