In a few weeks you may be wondering what else to make with that potato and carrot harvest. Or maybe not. I assume anyone who grows vegetable and tubers is always a big creative cooking genius. My husband has gotten really into growing celery lately, and really, you don’t need to be creative to use celery. It is a staple in pretty much everything. As of late, I am really into ginger. I have been putting it in everything. It goes great with chives. It goes great with carrots. It goes great with beef. So here we go.
A Root Vegetable Beef Stew with White Beans & Ginger
- 1 lb beef stew meat, whichever cheap cut is your favorite
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 2-4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup diced ginger root
- 6 stalks celery sliced thin
- 5 large carrots sliced thick
- 4 medium yukon potatoes
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- Salt to taste
- 2 pinches thyme to taste
- Fresh chopped chives for garnish
Start with browning your meat, celery, garlic, and onion. The beef should be in large 1.5 inch chunks. I start it in a heavy bottomed pot. Keep browning on medium-high heat until meat is sticking to the bottom of the pot. At this point add either a cup of red wine or broth and stir until it is reduced by about half. Add your carrots, ginger, and water. Let simmer for about 90 minutes until carrots are mostly soft. Add your salt to taste and dried thyme. If too much of your water has cooked down, you can add another cup. Dice up your Yukon potatoes and add them with the drained white beans. Continue to simmer until potatoes are cooked through and broth is thickening. Sometimes, I like to add some fresh diced mushrooms at this point,but that is just personal preference. My husband hates the mushrooms!
Serve in shallow bowls and garnish with fresh chives.
This is warm and hearty, and just plain great for when winter refuses to let us go.
