Oktoberfest Stew

The Packers have a bye week, so I needed a project for the day. To be honest, I didn't feel like looking up a recipe or coming up with some clever experiment to test out. I also was craving beer. What could I make that would be relatively simple and included beer?

Stew! The best thing about stew is that I could put just about anything in it. Growing up my parents would make a stew anytime they needed to clean out the fridge. Extra carrots, throw them in. Too many onions in cupboard, throw them in. Leftover meatloaf, throw it in. I wish I was kidding.

So I went to Whole Foods with only one ingredient figured out, Spaten Oktoberfest. As much as I love micro-brews there is something about a real German beer that hits the spot on a chilly October night. It is a dark flavorful beer that somehow remains crisp and not too heavy. Good for drinking, good for cooking.

First I bought a bunch of veggies, mostly roots: carrots, onions, garlic, Yukon Gold potatoes, celery, leeks, shallots, parsnips, turnips. I never cooked with parships and turnips before, so this would be interesting. I also bought almost 4 lbs of beef chuck for protein. You can't have stew by itself, so I bought some polenta to serve it over.

When I got home, I cut the chuck into 1-2 inch cubes trimming off most of the fat. I coated the beef in flour, salt, and pepper. Then browned it in oil. I then set it aside.

I chopped the veggies and separated them into two groups: 1) onions, leeks, shallots, garlic, celery and 2) carrots, turnips, parsnips, potatoes. I heated up some olive oil and a bit of butter in my heavy cast-iron pot and then sautéed the first group until the onions were translucent (5-10 minutes). Then I added the second group and simmered them for about 15 minutes.

I added the beef and poured in a couple Spaten's and enough beef stock to generously cover all the veggies and the beef. I then made a sachet by wrapping a couple sprigs of thyme, oregano, bay leaves, and about 10 peppercorns in cheesecloth and tying it together. I added this to the stew. I simmered the stew on low heat for about an hour and 15 minutes.

With about 45 minutes left until the stew was finished, I started the polenta. It was fairly basic. Boiled 4 cups chicken stock and 2 cups water. Slowly stirred in 2 cups of polenta. I continuously stirred for about 15 minutes and then added 3 TBS of butter and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese. After about 10 more minutes, I transferred to a well-oiled bowl and let sit for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, I flipped the polenta onto a plate and everything was ready to serve.

I was worried that some of the roots would be too mushy and others would not be cooked enough, especially the turnips and parsnips. Fortunately, everything seemed cooked perfectly. The stew was absolutely delicious. The turnips really stood out. The polenta was nice and creamy. The beef was tender and not too fatty. The beer gave the stew a sweet-and-sour flavor. All-in-all, perfect for a brisk fall day.

Next time you are wondering what to cook, but don't want anything too complicated. Stew is your answer!

Molly's even excited about the stew.