Burly Brown Turkey Stew

When the temperature drops below freezing and an extra comforter finds your bed, it’s only natural to mix beer with dinner. The idea of brewing thick, full bodied, nutrient rich beers for long winter months has been around since the origins of beer itself. And though today advertisements might convince you to throw on a parka and drink a Coors Light when you’re up in the mountains, where’s the flavor in that? I say give me your ambers, your browns, your stouts, your bocks… and let me cook with them! Beer is perfect in breads, chili, steak marinades, a pint glass… today it’s perfect in stew!

Ingredients:

2 Bottles of Point Burly Brown (or your favorite local brown beer)
1 lb Ground Turkey
8 oz Frozen Peas
8 oz Frozen Corn
5 Medium Red Potatoes
12 oz Baby Carrots
1 Small White Onion
3 Cans of Tomato Soup

Makes approximately 4 quarts of stew.

Empty the three cans of tomato soup into a 5 quart slow cooker, and add 1 bottle of beer. While stirring the beer and tomato soup, take the second bottle of Burly Brown and drink it (this enhances your aromatic judgment and cuisine creativity – if you are not very creative in general, be sure to increase the dosage by 1). Once the mixture is smooth, turn the slow cooker up to High. Chop the Baby carrots into thick coins and the red potatoes into ¾ inch cubes (not too small, not too big). Rinse all the potatoes and carrots and throw them into the crock.

Place a 12 inch nonstick skillet on medium heat, coat the bottom with olive oil and add the ground turkey. Mince half of the white onion and mix in with the meat. Salt and pepper generously until you can smell that the meat is peppery. Chop and mix until brown, add a tablespoon of chicken seasoning (I prefer McCormick’s Montreal Chicken seasoning). Take your ground turkey off of the heat and let it sit. Loosely chop the rest of the onions and add them to the ground turkey.

Meanwhile, back at the crock pot, dash in a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and some ground cayenne pepper, spice to your desire. Add a tablespoon of whole savory, and a tablespoon of your favorite Italian seasoning. Grab that pepper mill and go to town for a minute (12-15 cranks). Finally add your turkey meat and 1-2 teaspoons of salt to bring out the flavors. Let the stew sit on high for 1 hour.

After an hour your house will smell delicious, and you will likely have upped the beer toll to 3. Now it’s time to add the frozen peas and corn (I like frozen because it’s easy to acquire and can handle the prolonged heat). Smell your Stew, Taste your Stew… add Chicken Seasoning and Italian Seasoning to taste. It should be slightly peppery with a bit of a sweet aftertaste. Don’t be afraid to add a little brown sugar, pepper, cayenne pepper, salt, or even more beer if needed! Let the stew continue simmering for at least 30 more minutes or until the potatoes are tender enough to eat. Serve with a few slices of buttered bread and soak up the velvety tomato stock. No, a fourth beer is not out of the question.