Hearty and nourishing, this stew is highly adaptable. The basic idea is to throw in a bunch of root vegetables, some meat if you eat it, grains, and a bit of fruit, then cook until its all soft. If you’re not a fan of cooking on the fly though here is a version of the stew we made recently, it was delicious! It made enough to feed 8-10 people when served with bread and butter. We like to use cast iron and fire for this dish as the addition of smoke to the stew really makes it special.
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato
- 3 carrots
- 1 small pumpkin
- 2 potatoes
- 4 onions
- 2 litres chicken stock
- 500g chicken thigh, diced
- 2 apples, cored and chopped
- A handful of dried cranberries
- A half cup barley grains
- 1 tablespoon butter
Method
- Chop the potatoes, sweet potato, carrots, and pumpkin into 1 inch cubes. Throw in a large pot with the stock and barley and put the lid on. Put on a high heat to bring to the boil, then reduce to a high simmer.
- Slice all the onions and mushrooms, and sauté with butter in a pan. Once sautéd, add the onions and mushrooms to the pot.
- With the same pan that was used for the onions and mushrooms, pan sear the chicken, then add that to the pot too.
- Leave simmering for 10 minutes.
- Add apple and cranberries to the pot, along with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the vegetables are soft.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Serve hot with buttered bread.
Enjoy!
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