Harvest Stew with Beef

This vibrant soup stands by its name because it contains all kinds of vegetables—whatever you happen to have in the pantry! We’re putting this soup with the fall soups, but it’s a soup that you can make in any season with seasonal vegetables. Since it is packed full of vegetables, you can make this soup with a lot of meat, a little meat, or even no meat at all. Similar to our other soup recipes, it isn’t blended. You can see the chunks of vegetables and meat and enjoy spoonfuls of them drenched in the thick broth. It’s a super rich, super tasty, and thick stew that you can eat on its own or with some bread (so that you can wipe the plate clean!).

If the measurements in our recipe yield too big a pot of stew for you, you can always cut the recipe in half. Remember, the main difference between famous chefs and our grandmothers and mothers is that chefs usually rely on recipes. Our grandmothers and mothers didn’t rely on recipes, but rather they relied on their senses. This made them whizzes in the kitchen! You want to rely on your senses, too, when deciding how much soup to make. You must also always keep in mind your family members’ likes and dislikes, because when you make a pot of soup you want everybody to enjoy it. Be sure to not put in any vegetable that someone in your family doesn’t enjoy. You can always adapt our recipe by adding or subtracting ingredients.

One thing to note: even though corn is planted everywhere in Albania and is eaten a lot, corn is not used in Albanian soups. If you like corn, you can add it to our soups, though, and it won’t significantly change the tastes or textures of the soups.

Ingredients:

·           2 T olive oil

·           1 cup chopped onion

·           1 red bell pepper, chopped

·           1 yellow pepper, chopped

·           5 garlic cloves, minced

·           1 pound (or more) ultra-lean beef

·           2 T red cooking wine

·           1 T tomato paste

·           1 cup crushed tomatoes

·           3 cups cubed white or red potatoes

·           1 cup peeled and cubed sweet potato

·           1 cup chopped zucchini

·           1 cup peeled and chopped acorn squash

·           1 cup coarsely chopped carrots

·           1 cup coarsely chopped celery

·           1 cup cut string beans or sweet peas (optional)

·           3–5 cups water

·           2 bay leaves

·           ½ t dried sage

·           ½ t dried basil

·           ½ t salt

·           ½ t pepper

·           ½ t crushed chili pepper (optional)

1- In a medium pot, heat the oil and add the onion. Cook until the onion becomes translucent, and then add the peppers, garlic, and beef. Cook until the beef has browned. Add the red cooking wine and cook until all of the wine evaporates. Now add the tomato paste, stir to combine, and add 3 cups of water.

2- Bring this mixture to a boil, and then add all the remaining vegetables, herbs, and seasonings. You can add more water, if needed, to cover the vegetables. 

Boil until all of the vegetables are cooked, for about an hour.

Serve hot.