Hot, Hearty, Homemade Stew Recipes

When the winter blues get you down, there’s nothing like a hearty stew to warm you up and help get you through to spring! Stews, in various forms, are eaten all around the world for their warming effects making them one of those cross-cultural similarities that bring people together no matter where they’re from. Here at NetCost Market, we’re going to give you three brilliant stew recipes that are essential to surviving winter so you can keep all your friends and family warm!

Irish Stew

The wind battered island of Ireland can be a bleak and hospitable place in winter. With nothing but the endless Atlantic Ocean between it and the east coast of the US, it’s constantly bombarded with ice cold rain and strong gales (the English version of a hurricane) from November to March. Their answer to getting through this is the humble Irish Stew, a thick broth of vegetables, bacon, and slow cooked lamb!

You will need (serves 5): ¾ lb. thickly cut bacon – diced, 3 lbs. boneless lamb shoulder – diced into 2-inch pieces, ½ tsp. salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ¼ cup all-purpose flour, 2 cloves garlic – minced, 1 large onion – finely chopped, ½ cup water, 2 cups beef stock, 4 cups diced carrots, 2 potatoes – diced, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 2 bay leaves.

How to make:

• Fry the bacon in a large deep skillet until it’s well browned. Drain and set aside.
• Add the lamb, salt, pepper, and flour to a mixing bowl and mix until the meat is evenly coated. Next, brown the meat in a skillet using the remaining bacon fat.
• Remove the meat and add it to a stock pot. In the skillet (with the remaining fat kept inside), add the garlic and onion and sauté until the onion is browned.
• Add the water to the pan, using it so that all the oil and residue in the pan is lifted and then add this to the stock pot along with the bacon pieces and beef stock.
• Allow to simmer for 2 hours.
• Add the carrots, potatoes, thyme, bay leaves and reduce the heat, cooking for a further 30 minutes until all of the newly added vegetables are tender.

Russian Solyanka

The Russians know a thing or two about dealing with the cold, which is probably why they’ve developed the most hearty, meaty, and indulgently warming stew of them all – the Russian Solyanka. This stew is designed to keep you warm when temperatures get well below freezing, so it’s the perfect way to keep yourself nice and warm!

You will need (serves 6): ½ cup mixed mushrooms, 3 cups hot water, 4 lbs. stewing beef, 4 Polish kielbasas, ½ lb. smoked bacon – diced, 6 marinated mushrooms, 15 olives – pitted, 1 cup pickled gherkins – diced, 1 onion – chopped, 2 cloves garlic – diced, 1 carrot – diced, 6 baby potatoes – diced, 2 bay leaves, ½ tsp. black pepper, 1 tbsp. butter, 500g diced tomatoes, 1 tsp. smoked paprika, 2 tbsp. chopped dill, 2 tbsp. chopped parsley, sour cream and lemon slices for serving.

How to make:

• In a large skillet, fry the bacon lardons until the fat has all melted out.
• Remove the bacon to a separate dish and then add the beef to the bacon fat and fry until brown with a pinch of salt and black pepper.
• Remove to the same dish as the bacon. Repeat the process with the sliced kielbasa.
• In the same pot, add the onion and fry for 5 minutes, then adding the chopped carrots and garlic, cooking for 5 more minutes.
• Next, add the butter, marinated mushrooms, pickled gherkins, olives, mushrooms, and paprika. Cook this together for 5 minutes.
• Add the beef, bacon, kielbasa, bay leaves, tomatoes, and 3 cups hot water to the pot, and simmer on a low heat for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Add the baby potatoes and simmer for a further 30 minutes.
• Add the chopped herbs and season to taste.
• Serve with sour cream and lemon slices.

Hungarian Paprika Potato Stew

This traditional Hungarian stew is perfect for getting warm this winter without the need for eating meat! Using the warming properties of dried paprika, this stew easily stands up to those that contain meat!

You will need: 2 lbs. potatoes, 1 large onion, ½ bell pepper, 1 clove garlic, 1 small chili pepper, ½ can of tomatoes, 2 cups vegetable broth, 1 tbsp. sweet paprika, 1 tsp. smoked paprika, 1 tsp. hot sauce, salt, pepper, pickles for serving.

How to make:

• Dice the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and chili, and then add them all to a pot using a little oil for frying. Dice the potatoes and add them once the onion is soft and browned. Cook for a further 10 minutes, stirring to stop any burning.
• Add tomatoes, paprika, hot sauce, and enough vegetable broth to cover everything in the pot. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer.
• Once the potatoes are fully cooked, season with salt and pepper and serve immediately with pickles on the side!

When winter gets you down, there’s nothing like a hot, homemade, hearty stew to get you through the worst of it! At NetCost Market, we have everything you need to make the perfect winter stew and at an unbeatable price! With a selection of specialty foods from both Europe and the US, we’ll have all your bases covered!