Autumn has fully arrived here in Cambridge. The clock went back over the weekend as well. So, with days getting shorter, something warm and delicious like a good old stew is a must in our house. I love stews, not only are they nutritious and comforting but they are so easy to make too. I posted a picture of the one I made over the weekend on Instagram and many of my followers have asked what went in it. So here it is "Just a good old stew"!
Cavolo nero Kale (can be replaced by cabbage)
One carrot
One celery stick
A tin of cannellini beans
Two chicken legs
A bit of left over ham hock
A bay leaf
Half a tsp of turmeric
Salt and pepper to season
Stew is easy right, the hardest bit is chopping the veggies. After that, everything goes in the pot. I had two pieces of chicken legs in my freezer, and a bit of cooked smoked ham hock too. So I started by cooking those from frozen, I popped the legs and ham hock in a big pot and covered with water, nothing else at that stage. I let it boil for 30 minutes, and got rid of the white foam on top. I then added my chopped veggies, in this one I used one carrot, one celery stick and a bag of Cavolo nero kale, salt and pepper, a bay leaf, a tin of cannellini beans (drained) and my secret ingredient half a tsp of turmeric. That’s it! Let it stew on a low heat for a good two hours, the meat will fall off the bone by that point. 30 minutes before serving I added some dumplings, but you could also add old bits of bread too. The beauty of a stew is that there is no rule, whatever is in your fridge or freezer works!
Bon appétit!
Corinne
The beauty of a stew is you can add whatever you want. It can be made with just veg, you can add meat of course. But the one thing people don’t often think of is spices, yes you can spice it up, I like to add a bit of turmeric to mine, sometimes I also add a bit of ginger. It’s really up to you.