Recipe: Grey Barn Beef Stew with Bone Broth and Orange Peel

Just picture a hearty winter stew of tender beef and vibrant carrots, slow-cooked to perfection, ready to warm both body and soul. Served piping hot, it invites you to savor each spoonful and allow the flavors to dance on your palate. Whether enjoyed alone on a chilly evening or shared with loved ones around a table, this stew is a testament to the simple joys of hearty, home-cooked comfort.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

3 lbs. Grey Barn stew beef, cut into 1 inch pieces 

1 tablespoon Maldon Sea Salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 Quart Grey Barn beef broth

1 sprig of rosemary

1 bay leaf

3 oranges

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon honey

4-6 carrots depending on size, sliced crosswise

1 Grey Barn Boule, or other crusty bread if you must

butter for serving with bread

Directions

Take the rosemary, bay leaf, the peel of two of the oranges, and the juice of 1 orange, and the beef stock. Combine in a small bowl and set aside so the flavors can marinate.

Dry meat with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Warm 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a dutch oven over a medium high heat. In batches, to avoid crowding the pan, sear the meat on all sides until evenly browned, about 8 minutes per batch. The meat may start to char a bit but that's ok - just lower the heat as needed and drizzle a little more olive oil in the pan. Transfer the meat to a plate and start on the next batch.

Once the meat is cooked add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Do not remove pan juices from the meat. Stir in onions and garlic. Turn heat down to medium and cook, stirring often until the onions have softened - about 5 minutes or so. Add ½ of the marinade of rosemary, orange and broth to the pan. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring a few times, to infuse the flavors.

Melt the honey into this mixture and zest the remaining orange into the pan, stir in the carrots and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes. Add the browned meat and the rest of the marinade into the pan. Turn the heat up to a medium high temperature and bring to a simmer then lower temperature and cover. 

Cook the stew gently for 2.5-3 hours, checking every so often to make sure the juices are not boiling until the meat is tender and no longer chewy. Once cooked, turn the heat off and allow the stew to rest in its own juices. 

Serve with chunks of Grey Barn bread and butter.

Recipe adapted from La Buvette by Camille Fourmont & Kate Leahy