The Poor Man’s Stew: effortless, vegan, and dirt cheap.
Like the Irish in the mid-19th century, sometimes it can feel like we’re surviving on the bare minimum. Sustaining ourselves off a few potatoes and other root veges that don’t really seem like they should be classified as food is a lot less fulfilling than our classic at-home comfort foods. Luckily, we can thank our dear Irishmen for providing us with a recipe that makes these seasonal root vegetables taste like the best thing since bread, and warms our tummies so much that we forget the house is cold. My version has the added bonus of being vegan (and a little bit alcoholic). Why do we put Guiness in stew you ask? Well, it’s not good for much else, to be honest. Google says it also helps tenderise the meat and give the sauce a richer flavour, but it’s not an essential step.
I made this purely from seasonal vegetables I got from my Wonky Box. This is a cheap, sustainable way to eat seasonally which I highly recommend, especially if you’re in a flat of two or more people! Wonky Box delivers fresh, seasonal produce weekly for just $30, and it’s definitely a lot cheaper than going to the supermarket. It’s also a good way to make you feel like you’re doing right by the planet on a budget.
The Poor Man’s Stew: effortless, vegan, and dirt cheap.
Makes 5-6 portions Cost per portion: $3.30 With meat: $5.90
500g potatoes
2 large carrots
2 turnips
1 yellow onion
½ leek
Vegetable stock (I used 3 cubes but depends on the stock)
1 can of Guinness or other stout beer (optional)
Herbs (dried or fresh: parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, whatever floats your boat)
3 tbsp flour
These are the basic ingredients, but you can adapt the recipe to whatever you’ve got in the fridge. I added white button mushrooms and a stick of celery to mine.
If you want to do the classic version of Irish stew with lamb, make sure you sear this before adding it into the stew with the vegetables.
Chop the vegetables into large chunks (something that roughly resembles 2 cm cubes).
Add all the vegetables into a big pot with 1 litre of water. Add the Guiness, vegetable stock, herbs, and a ^lot of salt. Taste it! If you’re using meat, add now.
Bring it to boil and then let it simmer for about 40 minutes.
When you’re almost ready to serve, mix the flour with a bit of water until it becomes a runny paste, then stir it in. Keep stirring until the stew thickens (if you’ve been stirring more than 10 minutes and nothing’s happening, add another tablespoon using the same method).
Stir in some more fresh parsley and serve with a slice of bread, like the poor, cold, hungry worker you are.
Eat up, warm up, and see you next time with more nutritious meals for broke students!