Hearty Sweet Corn Beef Stew

Woo hoo!

It’s soup season!

To kick things off, I thought I’d share a yummy, hearty beef stew.

This one is a loose interpretation of one I had in a restaurant last year.  The surprise inside this one is the corn, which lends an unexpected sweetness to a hearty beef stew.

It’s taken some tinkering, but it’s finally just right. 

I love that it’s hearty and robust with the sweetness of the corn and just a little bit of heat to balance it out.  It’s the perfect stew for when you want some comfort food, but you’re just looking for something a little different.

Hearty Sweet Corn Beef Stew

½ lb bacon, diced

2 lbs stew meat, cut small

1 medium onion, diced

4 stalks celery, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 ½ cups (or 15 oz can) diced tomatoes

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp chipotle chili powder

¼ tsp turmeric

6 ears corn, kernels removed, cobs reserved

1 qt beef stock

1 (12 oz) bottle beer

3 medium carrots, diced

1 large potato, diced

1 cup peas

Place the bacon in a large soup pot over medium heat.  Fry the bacon until crisp, then remove the bacon to a paper towel lined plate, reserving the bacon drippings.

Increase the heat to medium-high and add the beef, cooking in batches, as necessary, to avoid over crowding.  Cook the beef until seared on all sides.  Remove the beef to a bowl or plate.

Decrease the heat to medium-low and add 2 teaspoons of olive oil to the pot.  Add the onions and celery and cook for 5-7 minutes or until crisp-tender.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Increase heat to medium-high and stir in the spices, beer, beef stock, tomatoes, the seared beef, and the reserved corn cobs.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 hours, stirring once or twice.

Once the beef in nice and tender, remove the corn cobs and stir in the carrots, potatoes, and peas.  Also add another cup of beef broth or water, if needed.  Simmer for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Stir in the corn and bacon and heat through.

Serves 6