Recipes

IT'S AUTUMN, TIME FOR STEW

Do you know that feeling when you step outside and smell autumn? This morning during my walk in the Limburg hills, I smelled the leaves. Autumn. And autumn for me doesn't just mean curling up on the couch with a spicy Pumpkin Latte, autumn for me means a big pot of stew on the stove. Preferably to enjoy after a long autumn walk with friends (okay, or romantically with your loved one) at a well-filled table. Well, come on, it's the weekend, how about a nice piece of melty cheesy bread on the side? I'm diving into the kitchen. Because the longer it simmers, the better the taste.

Ingredients

1 onion

2 parsnips

1 small pumpkin

4 winter carrots

a handful of sunchokes

a handful of fresh sage leaves

olive oil

tablespoon of butter

500 grams of beef chuck, cut into bite-sized pieces

flour

tin of tomato puree

half a bottle of red wine

250 ml beef broth

fresh rosemary

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees.

2. Clean the onion and the other vegetables. Cut the onion into rings and the parsnips, carrots, sunchokes, and pumpkin into bite-sized pieces.

3. Heat the oil and butter in a pan. Add the onion and sage and sauté until golden brown.

4. Dust the meat with two tablespoons of flour and add it along with the other vegetables, the tomato paste, the wine (and yes, if the bottle is open, you can definitely have a sip, right?) and the broth to the onion. Add some salt and pepper and mix everything well together.

5. Bring it to a boil and then place the pan in the preheated oven. Give the pan at least three to four hours to simmer nicely. The longer you let it sit, the more tender it becomes. Do check on it occasionally. Stick a fork in the meat: does it fall apart? Then you can serve it or at least lower the temperature (to 100 degrees).

6. Finally, sprinkle the stew with fresh rosemary and finely chopped garlic.

7. Serve with warm bread.

Oh, and of course with a good glass of red wine.