Modern Wild Man
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| A hot bowl of stew with a grilled cheese, crackers and a few dill pickles. |
A warm stew on a lazy Sunday afternoon is just the ticket. I made this family favorite last Sunday to enjoy a rainy afternoon with my family. There was a fire crackling in our fireplace, and a warm pot of elk stew on the stove simmering most of the afternoon. The savory scent of the stewing vegetables and broth filled our home like a warm blanket on that chilly day.
I hope you have the opportunity to make this stew for your family on a Sunday afternoon.
Sunday Afternoon Elk Stew
Ingredients-
2 pounds elk roast
4 large carrots
4 ribs celery
1 medium yellow onion
4 cloves garlic (preferably stiff neck)
2 large yukon gold potatoes
1 bay leaf
1T canola oil
1T butter
32oz beef broth
1/4C worcestershire sauce
1 1/2C tomato juice
several grinds pepper
kosher salt
Start by prepping the vegetable. Chop the carrots, celery, onion, potatoes, and garlic and set aside. We will sweat this in a little bit.
Next salt a cast iron skillet (I prefer kosher salt), and add 1/2T canola oil. Heat the skillet up pretty well, really put the spurs to it. We are about to make a smokey mess by searing our elk meat. When the oil is good and hot, turn on an exhaust fan and crack a window and put the elk roast, or roasts in. Let the high heat sear the outside of the roast, put the meat down firmly and be sure to get good contact with the skillet. Sear each side for at least two minutes. It should wind up looking like this-
Next, remove the elk meat from the skillet, and set it on a plate or platter to rest. Do not cut into the roast, or poke any holes in it. We want all those savory juices to stay in the roast, not to run all over the plate.
Turn the heat off, and add in 1/4C of the beef broth to the still hot skillet. The broth will steam and simmer and burp and make all kinds of racket. Use a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan and get all those tasty seared meat bits from the pan. Move the hot deglazed skillet out of the way, we will come back for the deglazing broth later.
Now, back to those vegetables. Put a heavy dutch oven on low heat. Drop in the butter and the remaining canola oil. The canola oil will help to keep the butter from smoking or burning. Throw in the celery, carrots, and onion to sweat. We want these veggies to cook low and slow, gently giving up their flavor without browning or sauteing. Be patient, and give these veggies a good 6 to 8 minutes at least to sweat it out with only a gentle stir or two with a wooden spoon.
By now the elk roast should be cooled. Using a sharp knife cut the roast across the grain making small cubes no bigger than a bite. The roast will have a beautiful outer bark from searing, and a succulent inner red meat like a rare cooked steak. Try to get an even chop and set aside.
Now that the carrots, onion, and celery have given up most of their flavors to our pot, lets add in the potatoes, chopped garlic, worcestershire, tomato juice, broth and don't forget the reserved broth we deglazed the iron skillet with.
Add in the chopped elk roast and bay leaf. Now gently bring everything to a slow boil, stirring occasionally to keep everything evenly heated, and the bottom from sticking. Once you get the stew heated up to a boil back down the heat to a simmer. Put the lid on loosely to let some of the liquid evaporate to the desired thickness you and your family like. We like a hearty thick stew at our house, and a slow simmering stew with a loose fitting lid is perfect. I usually try to have three or four hours at least to let everything stew together, but if you like a lot more liquid broth in your soup, it won't take near as long.
The seared elk meat softens to a great texture, and adds a depth of flavor that is terrific. The reduced broth and tomato juice create a hearty stew perfectly seasoned with aromatic vegetables and potatoes that is sure to warm your family on a rainy day.
Here's to you and your family on a cold and rainy day. A warm stew for that cold and rainy day, and make it Wild!
I hope you have the opportunity to make this stew for your family on a Sunday afternoon.
Sunday Afternoon Elk Stew
Ingredients-
2 pounds elk roast
4 large carrots
4 ribs celery
1 medium yellow onion
4 cloves garlic (preferably stiff neck)
2 large yukon gold potatoes
1 bay leaf
1T canola oil
1T butter
32oz beef broth
1/4C worcestershire sauce
1 1/2C tomato juice
several grinds pepper
kosher salt
Start by prepping the vegetable. Chop the carrots, celery, onion, potatoes, and garlic and set aside. We will sweat this in a little bit.
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| Chopped celery, onion, carrots, potatoes and 4 garlic cloves ready to go. |
Next salt a cast iron skillet (I prefer kosher salt), and add 1/2T canola oil. Heat the skillet up pretty well, really put the spurs to it. We are about to make a smokey mess by searing our elk meat. When the oil is good and hot, turn on an exhaust fan and crack a window and put the elk roast, or roasts in. Let the high heat sear the outside of the roast, put the meat down firmly and be sure to get good contact with the skillet. Sear each side for at least two minutes. It should wind up looking like this-
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| Beautiful elk roasts seared in an iron skillet. |
Turn the heat off, and add in 1/4C of the beef broth to the still hot skillet. The broth will steam and simmer and burp and make all kinds of racket. Use a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan and get all those tasty seared meat bits from the pan. Move the hot deglazed skillet out of the way, we will come back for the deglazing broth later.
Now, back to those vegetables. Put a heavy dutch oven on low heat. Drop in the butter and the remaining canola oil. The canola oil will help to keep the butter from smoking or burning. Throw in the celery, carrots, and onion to sweat. We want these veggies to cook low and slow, gently giving up their flavor without browning or sauteing. Be patient, and give these veggies a good 6 to 8 minutes at least to sweat it out with only a gentle stir or two with a wooden spoon.
By now the elk roast should be cooled. Using a sharp knife cut the roast across the grain making small cubes no bigger than a bite. The roast will have a beautiful outer bark from searing, and a succulent inner red meat like a rare cooked steak. Try to get an even chop and set aside.
Now that the carrots, onion, and celery have given up most of their flavors to our pot, lets add in the potatoes, chopped garlic, worcestershire, tomato juice, broth and don't forget the reserved broth we deglazed the iron skillet with.
Add in the chopped elk roast and bay leaf. Now gently bring everything to a slow boil, stirring occasionally to keep everything evenly heated, and the bottom from sticking. Once you get the stew heated up to a boil back down the heat to a simmer. Put the lid on loosely to let some of the liquid evaporate to the desired thickness you and your family like. We like a hearty thick stew at our house, and a slow simmering stew with a loose fitting lid is perfect. I usually try to have three or four hours at least to let everything stew together, but if you like a lot more liquid broth in your soup, it won't take near as long.
The seared elk meat softens to a great texture, and adds a depth of flavor that is terrific. The reduced broth and tomato juice create a hearty stew perfectly seasoned with aromatic vegetables and potatoes that is sure to warm your family on a rainy day.
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| I can smell it now! |
Here's to you and your family on a cold and rainy day. A warm stew for that cold and rainy day, and make it Wild!
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