Autumn & Winter Healing Stew

Cynthia Killingbeck CH, CN, FEP

Along with many other contributing factors there is a plethora of evidence that confirms the ability to create fire and cook food allowed the human brain to grow and the digestive tract to shrink, giving rise to our ancestor Homo erectus some 1.8 million years ago. Cooking makes eating easier, it makes the food easier to digest and draws more caloric benefit from the food into our bodies for nutritional benefit. Fire brings us closer together, warming us and enabling us to cook our food with an attention on hearth and home. As we move into the shorter days and colder months, we want something warm and nourishing; soups, stews, and warm dishes tend to be how we are drawn to eat. The diversity of our diet is also very important to our health. It is believed the diet of hunter gatherers was more diverse than what we eat today. Our ancestors ate over 100 separate species a year. People on a Standard American Diet consume below twenty. Try writing down the names of all the species you eat for one whole month (this includes plants, animals, and fungi). Aim for 15 or more species per day. Herbs, spices, and supplements count too! Many people eat the same things every day, how habitual are you in your habits and routines? It is the diversity of our foods that aid in getting the full nutrient make up that our bodies need. Soups and stews make this even more possible, as we put many different species of foods in them.

‘We are what we eat’, is not just a cliché. Our diets give us the very nutrients broken down into cellular molecules by our guts that our bodies need to function and thrive. When on a poor diet, changing what we eat can help us to heal. I am sharing a stew that is rich, tasty, and a medicinal extraction of tonic mushrooms combined with some nourishing roots. It is a great autumn and winter tonic to build immunity and feed the friendly microbes that help ensure optimal utilization of nutrients and overall health.

Autumn Stew

Ingredients for Root & Mushroom Broth

Decoction (makes about 5-7 servings) Read entire recipe before beginning.

This is a decoction of Reishi, Astragalus, and Burdock and it will be used in the stew:

For decoction:

·      30 g (1 oz.) dried Astragalus root slices

·      30 g (1 oz.) dried Reishi mushroom slices

·      30 g (1 oz.) dried Burdock root (cut and sifted)

·      2 quarts water (spring or filtered)

Ingredients for Stew

Dried Herbs:

·      15 g (1/2 oz.) of dried Nettles leaf cut and sifted

·      7 g (1/4 oz.) of dried Parsley leaf cut and sifted (added last)

·      7 g (1/4 oz.) of dried Kelp, or Nori broken up as desired, small is best because it expands (added last and this is optional)

To Sauté:

·      1 lb. Grass-fed Stew Beef cubed

·      1 medium chopped Red Onion (or 1 ½ Tablespoon powdered)

·      6 cloves of Garlic (or 1 ½ tsp. of powdered)

·      ½ oz Ginger Fresh cut in small pieces

·      4 Tablespoon Coconut oil (substitution Olive oil)

·      3-4 stalks of Celery sliced small

·      3-4 Carrots medium sliced bite size

·      1-2 Beets peeled and chopped (optional this will turn stew red)

·      1 Celery root peeled and chopped (optional, may substitute potatoes)

·      6-8 oz. Shiitake mushrooms sliced (fresh/frozen)

Simmer:

·      1 quart decocttion Broth.

·      1-2 quarts vegetable broth, chicken broth, or bone broth (adjust liquid as needed for a good balance of liquid to vegetables as desired)

·      1 Tablespoon Thyme dried leaf or powder

·      1 tsp. Marjoram dried leaf

·      2-3 Bay Leaves

Added at the end:

·      Salt (Himalayan or Celtic Sea) and Black Pepper to taste 1-3 tsp of each

·      1-3 Tablespoons Arrow root to thicken (optional oat, or cassava flour)

Directions:

1.     Decoction: Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil, add the Astragalus root, Burdock root, and Reishi mushrooms. Lower to a simmer for about 1 to 4 hours reducing water by half to 1 quart. This can be done the day before. Strain and use the liquid. (Top off with water if you need to).

2.     In a cast iron pan braze stew meat on each side in 1 Tablespoon of coconut oil. Set meat aside.

3.     In the same pan sauté, the shiitake mushrooms in 1 Tablespoon coconut oil until they have released their water and the water has cooked down and they are soft. Set aside.

4.     In the same pan add a couple Tablespoons coconut oil, cut and chop to desired size the onion, garlic, carrot, and celery sauté them until the onion is translucent 10-15 min.

5.     In a 4-5 quart stew pot add all ingredients together; the decoction liquid, broth, sautéed vegetables, brazed meat, sautéed mushrooms, Nettles, Thyme, Marjoram, Bay leaves and any other vegetables you wish to add. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour. (See Note below for creamy option).

6.     Add salt and pepper to taste. Add dried Parsley and Seaweed at this time. Simmer covered an additional 10-15 min.

7.     If you desire a thicker stew, take some broth from the stew, place in a small bowl, and add a Tablespoon of Arrowroot and whisk until smooth, then add it back to the stew pot, stirring until mixed simmer until it thickens. Repeat this process if a thicker stew is desired.

Note:

If you wish to make this a creamy stew, during the simmer phase of step 5 add a can or two of full fat coconut milk. The Coconut milk adds some delicious, high-quality fat to sustain energy and to aid absorption of fat-soluble nutrients and vitamins. (Like vitamin A in the carrots.)

Image Shiitake Mushrooms

Astragalus supports the immune system, relieves general fatigue, supports lung, and heart health. Reishi mushrooms are antiviral, antibacterial, protective to the liver, strengthens the heart and the immune system. Burdock is a blood builder, nourishing to the liver, detoxifying, and contains inulin that feeds our healthy gut microbiome. Shiitake mushrooms are antiviral, antibacterial, support the heart, liver, kidneys, and immune system. Garlic and Onions add beneficial sulfur compounds for immunity and detoxification; Ginger warms the stew with anti-inflammatory constituents that stoke the digestive fires; Parsley, Nettles and Kelp contribute a rich supply of minerals and antioxidant flavonoids. Vegetable stock and bone broth adds flavor and healing nutrients. The beets are full of powerful antioxidants. Celery contains many minerals and vitamins and support liver detoxification. The herbs we are using to support taste also have benefits to the body thyme is an expectorant, antispasmodic, and anti-inflammatory. Marjoram is antibacterial, antiviral, and is stimulating to the stomach. Bay is an expectorant, antimicrobial, and relieves gas and bloating. Never take your ‘spice cabinet’ for granted all those herbs and spices have healing value.

May your autumn & winter creations be healing ones!

Enjoy and Blessed Be!

Cynthia