Godzilla vs Mothra, this dish is that big and crazy! Capture all of the garden bounty in this beef stew by building layer upon layer of flavor. Starting by hay-roasting whole onions then searing a trio of steaks—flat iron, petite tender, and sirloin. Vegetables are sautéed in batches then everything get simmered in a stock and your favorite IPA. Your patients and effort are served up and topped with an herbaceous salad. This stew is also ideal for freezing and enjoying the taste of summer on a cold winter night.
This journey starts with hay-roasting some onions, so go grab a handful for hay from your local farmer, rancher or nearest bale of hay. Spread out hay, on a sheet of aluminum foil, then douse it with water to prevent it from burning. Coat onions with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Tuck them into the hay and wrap up the foil to create a packet (or simply wrap up the onions, minus the hay), leaving a small opening to allow steam to escape.
Roast for 35–50 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure hay remains damp and doesn’t catch on fire. Onions are done when tender inside and blackened in spots on the outside. How beautiful are those onions now?
Vegetable prep is your best friend with this stew. Everything gets added at different times so once prep is complete all you’ll have to do is stir in the next vegetable in line.
Once the bounty of vegetables have been combined and sautéd in batches it’s time to add the seared, rested and cut up trio of steaks–flat iron, petite tender and sirloin. Followed by the potatoes and enough stock to just cover everything. Lid goes on and the stew braises for 1½–2 hours or until potatoes are just starting to break down.
Ladle the beef stew into serving bowls and top with herb salad. If you’re going to save all or a portion of the soup do your best to cool it as rapidly as possible, the stew will continue to cook. Transfer meal-sized portions to freezer bags or airtight containers, label them, and freeze for a later date.
CSA SHARE #13
- Spring Mix
- Kale
- Broccoli
- Onions
- Garlic
- Potatoes
- Carrots
- Turnips
- Peppers
- Tomatoes
- Oregano
RECIPES COOKED WITH THIS WEEKS SHARE
FROM THE FIELD
A curious horse in front of the iconic Lockhart ranch red barn.
It doesn’t get more local than Lockhart ranch grassfed beef. It’s born, raised and butchered in Jackson Hole. You could close down all the roads in and out of the valley and their product would remain the same, unchanged for five generations. Believing that local is best and community is everything, brothers Chase and Cody Lockhart are also volunteer members of Teton County Search and Rescue. Who knows where they find the time? Watch episode 13 of Just Picked, Cooking Through a CSA.
Garden Bounty Beef Stew with Hay-Roasted Onions
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes
- Yield: serves 8 1x
Description
Godzilla vs Mothra, this dish is that big and crazy! Capture all of the garden bounty in this beef stew by building layer upon layer of flavor. Starting by hay-roasting whole onions then searing a trio of steaks—flat iron, petite tender, and sirloin. Vegetables are sautéed in batches then everything get simmered in a stock and your favorite IPA. Your patients and effort are served up and topped with an herbaceous salad. This stew is also ideal for freezing and enjoying the taste of summer on a cold winter night.
Ingredients
- Several large handfuls of hay, enough to fully cover onions
- 3 onions, peeled and trimmed, left whole
- Olive oil, as needed
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, season as you go
- 3 grass-fed steaks (flat iron, petite tender fillet, and sirloin)
- 5–7 carrots, roughly chopped
- 2 leeks, greens removed, white and light green parts quartered and chopped
- 1 head garlic, peeled and chopped
- Large handful haricots verts or green beans, trimmed and roughly chopped
- 4 green peppers, cored, seeded, and chopped
- Kernels from 3–4 ears corn
- 5–7 medium to large tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 can (12 ounces) IPA beer, Skip to make Gluten-free
- 15–18 fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise and cut into half moons
- 1½–2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock, as needed
- 6–8 turnips, greens roughly chopped, bulbs cut into small cubes and kept separate
- 2–4 summer squash, cut into small cubes
for the herb salad
- ¼ cup celery leaves (the smaller inner leaves are usually less bitter)
- ¼ cup micro chives or chives cut into batons
- Small handful basil leaves, lemon basil, and/or regular basil, hand torn
- Small bunch parsley, hand torn
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 tablespoon preserved orange peel, finely chopped
- Olive oil, as needed
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Roast onions: Preheat oven to 450°F. Spread out hay, on a sheet of aluminum foil, then douse it with water to prevent it from burning. Coat onions with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Tuck them into the hay and wrap up the foil to create a packet (or simply wrap up the onions, minus the hay), leaving a small opening to allow steam to escape. Roast for 35–50 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure hay remains damp. Onions are done when tender inside and blackened in spots on the outside.
- Sear steaks: Coat steaks with oil and season with salt and pepper. Preheat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high to high heat on the stovetop. Coat skillet with oil and sear steaks for 4–5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a platter, cover steaks and let rest.
- Start the veggies: When onions are done, remove them from foil packet and cut into large wedges. Add more oil to meat juices left in skillet followed by onions, carrots, leeks, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté for 5–7 minutes over medium-high heat, until leeks become translucent and vegetables have deglazed the pan. Remove from heat.
- Preheat a heavy-bottomed enameled pot over medium-high heat on the stovetop. Coat pot with olive oil and add green beans, green peppers, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until vegetables start to brown a bit, 3–5 minutes, then add onion mixture in skillet to green beans and peppers. Remove from heat while you slice steak and prepare remaining vegetables.
- Cut steak against the grain into bite-sized cubes, then return to the same platter to collect any remaining juices. Reduce oven temperature to 325–350°F.
- Coat the cast-iron skillet with oil, add corn, and use the residual heat to cook corn, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and let cook in hot pan for another 2–3 minutes. Transfer corn and tomatoes to pot with the other vegetables and return pot to medium-high heat. Add beer and juices from steaks and cook for 4–5 minutes more, until the alcohol has burned off. Add potatoes, steak, and enough of the stock to just cover the vegetables.
- Cover pot and braise stew in oven until potatoes are just starting to break down, 1½–2 hours. (Or simmer on stovetop for about 2 hours, or transfer stew to a crockpot set to medium heat and cook for 4–5 hours.) To finish stew, stir in turnip greens. Coat diced squash and turnips with oil, season with salt and pepper, and add to the pot. Cover and let rest.
- Meanwhile, prepare herb salad. In a medium bowl, toss together celery leaves, micro chives, basil, parsley, orange zest, and preserved orange. Season with pepper and add just enough olive oil to coat leaves. Ladle stew into serving bowls and top with herb salad.
Notes
- You can do all this cooking in one pot but we prefer to sear steaks in a cast iron, then deglaze the pan with vegetables to collect the layers of flavor as well as use the residual heat to help cook in batches.
- Prepping the stew: This is a rustic stew, so don’t get crazy with perfect knife skills. The most important thing is to cut all related vegetables to similar sizes so they all cook evenly.
- Storing the stew: If you’re going to save all or a portion of the soup do your best to cool it as rapidly as possible. The stew will continue to cook in the pot and you run the risk of overcooking certain vegetables. Transfer meal-sized portions to freezer bags or airtight containers, label them, and freeze for a later date.
- Category: entrée
- Method: braise
Keywords: garden bounty, beef stew, hay-roasted onions
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