Beef and Rutabaga Stew while camping

Beef And Rutabaga Stew

On my recent camping trip over Memorial Day weekend I had a great time camping and fishing with my son. Once the three day weekend was over, my son had to leave and go back to his accounting job. The rest of the week, it was just my dogs, Squeeky and Camper, and myself. We had the whole campground to ourselves for the rest of the trip.

My humble camp on Lake Ste. Kathryn.

The dogs and I took a lot of walks in the forest, we did a lot of fishing, and I caught up on my reading. Of course with my big white kitchen tent, I was able to turn out a lot of good meals.

On Tuesday afternoon, I was going to make a traditional stew, but once I started making it, I veered off in a different direction. I bought a small rutabaga, but didn’t want to waste it, so I put the whole thing in my stew. That didn’t leave much room for potatoes and carrots, so I just stopped with the rutabaga. It turned out good, if a little unusual. The rutabaga took on a sweet flavor and I'm sorry to say that there were no leftovers. Here’s what how I made it.

1-1/2 lb. of beef stew meat

Olive oil

Cajun seasoning

Adobo seasoning

1 small rutabaga, cubed (about 3 cups)

2 medium onions, chopped

1 tsp. white pepper

2 cloves of garlic

1 12 oz. bottle of dark beer

Preparation

Season the beef with equal amounts of cajun and adobo seasoning. Be generous. Heat a medium sized dutch oven and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Sear the beef, in batches, on all sides until it is nicely browned.

Add in the rutabaga and the onion and stir. Cook until the onions have softened. Add the beef back in along with the white pepper and garlic. Stir and pour on the dark beer and bring it all to a boil. Cover the pot and place it over the campfire, far enough off the heat, so it just simmers. Let it cook for an hour and a half, stirring often. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.

Serving

This stew is best eaten with a spoon. You want a big plate of the stew along with a crisp salad, fresh bread and butter and a bottle of Merlot. Have a bottle of Louisiana Hot Sauce available to season the stew as you eat it.