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.

Scale

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