I’ve had a tough time naming this recipe. ‘Beef Stew’ is too commonly ordinary for this pot of nutritious wonder. New Mama Stew, Winter Baby Stew, and Blood Building Stew have all been considered. But those didn’t make the cut because, although I traditionally serve it to new moms and their families, it’s simply a delicious beef stew after all! So, Mama’s Best Beef Stew, it is.

As mentioned in my recent post The Very Best Postpartum Care, moments after our first grandbaby was born, I watched my daughter complexion suddenly turn from a bright, healthy pink to a ghostly ashen grey. She was hemorrhaging. Thankfully her medical team recognized the situation and was skillfully able to manage the emergency with no further complications.

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In the days following this terrifying event, rebuilding my daughters’ strength with excellent, iron-rich nutrition became a primary focus. Ten grandbabies later (from multiple families), nearly every postpartum mama has had some version of this health-promoting comfort food as part of her aftercare. And of course, all of our carnivore dads love it too!

Nutrition Heals

Nutritionally speaking, Mama’s Best Beef Stew stacks layers of essential nutrients along with amazingly complex and delightful flavor. Starting with a generous quantity of seared quality beef, extra virgin olive oil, aromatics, caramelized organic tomato paste, and a high-quality malt beer.

Add to these a rich organic beef bone broth, fresh herbs, seasonings, and several varieties of root vegetables. A quick Google search will confirm that each ingredient listed has an intentional purpose beyond flavor – including the malt beer!

Before they had a chance to try it, more than one of our new Dads cast some wary eyes at the mention of ‘stew’ on the aftercare menu. Grateful as they usually are, stew and soup have a reputation of having a similar brothy essence about them. And y’all all know what the men around here think of soup!

At Grammie’s Cottage Kitchen, there’s no mistaking this Mama’s Best Beef Stew as a side dish at a ladies’ luncheon. Served alone or with a slice of crusty bread and a winter fruit salad on the side, this decadent, meat and potatoes meal is a sure win for deliciously comforted hearts and bellies as well as lending some excellent broad range health support.

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Mama's Best Beef Stew

There's no mistaking this Mama's Best Beef Stew as a side dish at a ladies luncheon. Served alone or with a slice of Crusty Bread and a winter fruit salad on the side, this decadent, meat and potatoes meal is a sure win!

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 45 minutes

Servings 5 quarts

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Granulated Garlic
• 3 pounds Stew Beef Pieces patted dry
• 3 strips Applewood Thick-cut Bacon
• 2 whole Yellow Onions diced, medium
• 6 cloves Fresh Garlic minced
• 2 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 ounces Organic canned Tomato Paste
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 12 ounces Dark Malt Beer ( I used Trader Joe's Stockyard Oatmeal Stout, but any dark malt beer will do)
• 3 17 ounce boxes Organic Beef Bone Broth
• 1 Tablespoon Fresh Thyme
• 3 whole Dried Bay Leaves
• 2 teaspoons Fresh Rosemary chopped fine
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Sea Salt
• 6 medium Organic Red New Potatoes scrubbed, blemishes trimmed, and cut to large bite sized pieces.
• 4 large Organic Carrots scrubbed. trimmed, and cut diagonally to 1 inch pieces..
• 2 medium Organic Turnips (optional) rinced, peeled, and cut to bite sized pieces.
• 3 medium Organic Parsnips rinced, peeled, and cut diagonally to 1 inch pieces.
• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
• 6 Tablespoons Unbleached Flour

Instructions

1. Combine salt, pepper, and granulated garlic, and season stew meat evenly. Set aside. In a heavy 6 quart or larger dutch oven, fry bacon to crispy. Set cooked bacon aside and chop it fine when cooled. In the same pan, on medium-high heat, use bacon fat and quickly brown the stew meat in several batches. Remove from pan and allow to cool (beef will not be cooked through).
   
2. Turn heat down to medium-low. Add olive oil and diced onions to the same pan along with brown bits from the meat, and saute.
   
3. When onions are lightly browning and some nearly translucent, add minced garlic, continuing to saute.
   
4. Add tomato paste to caramelize in the olive oil, about a minute.
   
5. Deglaze the fond from the pan by adding the beer and gently stirring as it simmers. This will cook out the alcohol from the beer leaving just the rich, unique flavors and nutrition of the malt beer.
   
6. Add the beef bone broth and finely chopped bacon. Slice browned beef to smaller bite-sized pieces and add to the pot.
   
7. Add Worcestershire sauce, sea salt, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves. Stir and simmer with the lid for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Test meat to be sure it is tender - cook an additional half-hour if necessary.
   
8. Add prepped veggies to the pot and gently simmer 25 minutes. In a separate frypan over medium-low heat, make a golden roux using the butter, flour, and black pepper. Melt the butter and whisk the flour and pepper together until bubbling and lightly browning to a golden color. When veggies are nearly done, add the roux to the stew and continue to gently simmer for another 15 minutes.
   
9. Enjoy!!
   

Recipe Notes

Leftovers make excellent freezer meals - this recipe is easy to multiply for your needs. In fact, the pictures are done with my 9 1/2 quart Le Creuset dutch oven and are obviously doubled from the ingredients listed above.

If you are looking for even more delicious nutrition, try adding a handful of fresh baby greens (baby kale and spinach) to your bowl before serving. The hot stew will merely wilt the greens rather than COOK them, giving you exemplary, iron-rich nutrition. Although not pictured, this is my favorite way to serve Mama's Best Beef Stew.