Porter Beef Stew with Hakurei Turnips

January 22, 2017

Porter Beef Stew with Hakurei Turnips - Recipe

I used a lot of local ingredients and businesses for this porter beef stew. If possible, I encourage you to explore your own farm markets and local breweries. It supports your local farmers and businesses, plus you get to know a lot about what goes into your food when you know the people who made it! It is a lot of fun and very satisfying to know you are getting the freshest and best ingredients! This weekend at the winter farm market, I got some more Hakurei Turnips from Shenandoah Seasonal. I added them the last half hour of cooking, so they did not get overcooked. The porter was a robust porter from Port City Brewing Co. in Alexandria, VA. It smelled so good slowly braising the beef from Woodtrail Graziers from Purcelville, VA. I also used the thick balsamic from Taste of Old Country, from Manassas, VA. So all in all, you could also say this was a Northern Virginia Winter Stew!
This recipe can very easily be cut in half to fit in a smaller pot. Also, like many braised stews, it is even better the second day after being stored in the refrigerator overnight. Warm up what you want to serve and garnish with a pat of sour cream and the leaves from the Hakurei turnips!

Porter Beef Stew with Hakurei Turnips

(Serves 6-8)

Palm Oil for frying

1 Onion peeled and chopped
1 Head Garlic peeled and chopped

4-5 Carrots cut into chunks
1 1/2 c. Flour

2 (2-3 lb.) Beef Chuck Roasts cut into 1 inch cubes (I used Woodtrail Graziers)
24 oz. Robust Porter (I used one from Port City Brewing Co.)
1 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Black Pepper
2 tsp. dried Thyme
1 tsp. dried Basil
2 Bay Leaves
2 T. Thick Balsamic Vinegar (I used Taste of Old Country)

20 Hakurei Turnips with Greens cleaned and separated (I used Shenandoah Seasonal)

1/2 c. Sour Cream for Garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat palm oil in a large (9.5 quarts) Dutch oven on medium heat. Fry the onion, garlic, and carrots until the onion is soft. Remove to a bowl and set aside. Add the flour in the plastic bag plus a few shakes salt and pepper. Add the beef cubes. Seal and shake the bag to dredge the cubes in flour. Add the beef to the pot and brown in batches. Add the palm oil a little at a time to the bottom of the pan as the brown bits build up. This will keep it from burning and you will have all that flavor to deglaze. Remove the last batch of meat and add the porter. Deglaze the pan scraping off the brown bits accumulated on the bottom on low heat. Add all meat, vegetables, salt, pepper, thyme, basil, bay leaves, and balsamic vinegar. If necessary, add water to raise the liquid to almost covering the top of the meat. Cover and bring to a simmer on medium heat. Place in the oven, covered, for 1 hour. Take out of the oven, add the turnips and stir. Place back in the oven, covered, for 30 more minutes. Check the meat and turnips by piercing with a fork. They should be very tender when done. Continue to check every 15 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Because you dredged the meat in flour earlier, your gravy was thickened during braising. Add salt, pepper, and thick balsamic vinegar to taste. Serve warm over pasta or egg noodles. Garnish with the fresh turnip greens and sour cream.