Butternut Squash Beef Stew

I know it's summer and stew is typically a cold-weather meal, but I'm just such a big fan of this dish, that I eat it year round.  It helps that squash keeps for so long so that I can still enjoy my winter squashes when summer rolls around.  This stew is very hearty and chock full of vegetables.  The star of this dish is definitely the butternut squash.  Slow-cooking gives it the texture of potatoes and it absorbs all of the amazing flavors from the meat, veggies and spices.  This stew also has great "replay-ability" - to borrow a term from Jeremy's video game jargon.  There are some recipes that you get tired of eating every day for a whole week - this is NOT one of those recipes.  Every time I ate this stew I was amazed at how satisfying it was - a true comfort food.  I even drink the leftover broth at the bottom of the bowl - that's actually my favorite part.  I originally found this recipe on the blog lowcarbhighstyle but I changed the cooking instructions a bit, since I'm not a huge fan of the slow cooker.

Equipment:

large cast iron dutch oven with lid

oven

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs. stew meat (I buy grass-fed beef chuck roast and cut it into cubes)

2 small apples, diced

1 butternut squash, cut into chunks (lots of people suggest microwaving the squash for a few minutes first to make peeling and cutting easier)*

1 small bag of baby carrots

5 stalks celery, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

3 cups chicken broth

1 cup red wine**

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 tsp. crushed garlic (I just minced 4-6 garlic cloves - I like garlic)

onion powder (recipe doesn't say how much - I just sprinkled it on for about 3 seconds)

1 tbsp. seasoning/herb blend (I used herbes de provence)

1 tbsp. thyme

salt and pepper

*Butternut squashes vary greatly in size.  The conventionally grown varieties are usually MUCH larger than organic varieties.  I would say that you're looking for about 4 cups of cubed squash.  I'll often only use half a squash for this recipe if the squash is really big.  Eyeball it and make sure you don't put in more squash than all the other ingredients (otherwise it won't fit in the pot).

**Did you know you can freeze red wine?  I'm a total geek when it comes to finding new ingredients to freeze.  Just pour the remaining wine in ice cube trays and transfer to a ziploc when frozen.  Once thawed, it won't be great to drink but the body needed for cooking is just as strong!  I made Coq Au Vin with frozen red wine and it was amazing!

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 275.
2. Brown meat in batches in dutch oven with your preferred cooking fat (coconut oil, clarified butter, beef tallow, etc.).  Remove from dutch oven and set aside.
3. Add aromatics (celery, onion, garlic) into the dutch oven.  Make sure to move everything around to help deglaze the pan of all the tasty browned bits of meat.  Saute for 3-5 minutes.
4. Add all other veggies (apples, squash, carrots) and cook until slightly soft.  (My dutch oven is only about 6 quarts - maybe less - so I cooked the veggies down until there was room in the pot for the meat and liquid; it took about 10 minutes or so).  Make sure to stir frequently.
5. Add meat, spices (onion powder, seasoning blend, thyme, salt and pepper) and liquid (chicken broth, red wine, apple cider vinegar).
6. Cover with a lid and put in the oven for at least 2 hours.  The actual time will vary depending on the fattiness of the meat, the quality of your oven, etc.  You will know it is done when the meat pulls apart easily with a fork.

Enjoy!

Editor's Note:  I removed the instructions from the original recipe that recommends using a slow-cooker.  After lots of feedback from people who tried the slow-cooker method and were disappointed by the texture of the meat or flavor of the stew, I decided not to recommend this method anymore.  I think 2 hours or inactive cooking time is a great trade-off for a hearty and healthy meal that will last you for days.