Hearty Hot Pot - Simply satisfying!

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This meal is incredibly simple to prepare, uses up a lot of the vegetables in your refrigerator, pantry, freezer, cellar or garden and is simply satisfying!

This "build your own" dish can be completely tailored to suit personal tastes, and will clean out your fridge and freezer of left-over root and frozen vegetables. I love it because there is no need for equal amounts of vegetables in this Hearty Hot Pot. Odds and ends like that lonely stalk of celery, or those three mushrooms bouncing along in the bottom of the crisper; will all blend nicely together.

What you need:

stewing beef (approx 1 dozen
  chunks)
1 cup beef broth
salt & pepper
1 tsp thyme
Any combination of:
potatoes
carrots
parsnips
celery
mushrooms
yellow onion
kernel corn
green peas

What you do:

Peel and slice potatoes, carrots and parsnips. Slice celery and mushrooms. Chop onion finely. Cut beef chunks in half. 

Line the bottom of a medium sized casserole dish with one layer of sliced potatoes. Alternate with layers of beef, carrots, parsnips, celery, mushrooms and potatoes with small handfuls here and there of diced onion, kernel corn and peas. Finally top with a layer of potatoes.

Pour 1 cup of beef broth, mixed with the thyme and a dash of salt and pepper, over top the dish. 

Cover and bake at 300° for 2 1/2 hours, or to whenever meat is thoroughly cooked.

Savoury tip: If you have the time, cut the beef chunks in half and tenderize with a wooden mallet. Season with salt and pepper and pan sear the meat in a little butter and oil, prior to adding to the hot pot mixture. This method will make the stewing meat a little more tender and seal in the meat flavour. Reduce the salt and pepper in the broth mixture if you use this method.

Meadow Sweet Grove © V. Buchanan, 2022