In Switzerland, it is common to find stews being made for dinners on the cooler nights in the mountains. This is because of their easiness to make and readily available ingredients. I remember so vividly, from my time in Switzerland, eating many meats. I specifically remember eating a stew very similar to this one in a lodge up in the Alps after a very cold day. I still feel the warmth of the stew warming my entire body. The thought of this grison beef stew recreates this moment for me.

 

This stew is great for a cool wintery day, it sent warmth through my kitchen throughout the entire cooking process. The meaty aromas made my mouth water while waiting for the final product. If you’re looking for the perfect meal for your family or group of friends wanting to stay in on a cold night and watch a movie or play a game, this is definitely it.

 

All of the ingredients can be found at a basic grocery store, I found them at my local Publix. A little help was needed locating the lard and the brisket, but other than that, everything was self-explanatory. In the wine section, they have reasonably priced mini boxes of red wine, I found to be the perfect amount for the stew. The instructions were a little unclear as to what type of onion should be used, so I went with a sweet white onion. Publix sells whole nutmegs, fresh ingredients always seem to add more flavor than the dried powder version.

The recipe begins by telling you to cut out the stem of the cabbage, wash, and boil in salted water for five minutes. This may sound like a very easy step. This was easily the hardest part of the entire process for me. I had no idea how to cut the cabbage and assumed it would be like cutting a head of lettuce. It is not. I repeat. It is not. My entire kitchen and I were covered with cabbage. My next wrong assumption was in thinking I needed to boil all of the cabbage once I finished my battle with it. No. You only need enough to add a layer of cabbage into you stew later on. I would suggest maybe boiling a quarter of it for good measure, but you will still likely have some left over. I set this cabbage aside once I was done.

From here on out cooking my stew went a little more smoothly. I took a pot, added the tablespoon of lard, bacon and onions. The aroma that filled my kitchen during this step was tantalizing. I doubled the onions in the recipe because I love onions and I felt that a half a cup wasn’t enough for my own liking. I would not suggest doing this with the bacon, for as I found, it is only there for flavoring, and everyone ended up picking most of it out since the fat does not cook down on it. I sautéed the bacon and onion mixure for three minutes. You will know it is time for the next step when you begin to hear the popping and sizzling of the bacon.

 

Next, add three bay leaves, a pinch of salt and pepper, and a pinch of the nutmeg I grated up. The recipe did not specify the amount of seasoning needed, but I feel that I added the perfect amount, which was a few pinches of each.

 

Now, according to the recipe, you add in the meat and liquids. I cut my brisket into chunks and added it the mixture along with 2 cups each of both my red wine and beef stock. You need to bring this to a boil, then let it simmer for an hour. I kept a pretty close eye on the stew and stirred occasionally during this hour.

 

After waiting what seemed like an eternity, it is time to add a layer of my cooked cabbage leaves. Because the recipe left me a little in the dark when it came to the cabbage I added a tiny bit and stirred and added a little more. Because everything was looking about done at this point, I turned the temperature down to an even slower simmer for the last hour.

 

If you have some experience cooking, but need a thorough recipe to follow, the one I used may very well not be enough! There were times I felt a little in the dark when making assumptions about what exactly I was supposed to do. If you are looking for a meaty meal and have around three hours to spend preparing it, this is the dish for you. For my lifestyle, I probably would not be able to set this much time aside to cook this exact dish in this cooking style, but I think it is important to start with traditional recipe before you start tweaking and making changes of your own.

 

I had invested about three hours in all between the prep time and cooking time involved in making this stew. I remember thinking, this must be one great stew. The stew feel a little short of my expectations. It wasn’t near as flavorful as I thought it would be, due to the smells of the ingredients as they were cooking. Would I make it again? Possibly, with some personal taste tweaks and with a different cooking method I would like the outcome better. Overall, it was a very fun learning experience that did help me expand my culinary knowledge a little outside of my comfort zone. Ultimately, it did vaguely remind me of the dish I remember from years ago and eating it brought back so many memories I had not thought about in years.

Ingredient list I shopped from:

• 1 ½ lb. stewing or braising steak, preferably brisket
• 1 Large white cabbage
• 1 Tbsp. lard
• ½ Cup diced bacon
• ½ Cup sliced onions
• 3 bay leaves
• Salt and pepper
• Grated nutmeg- I bought whole nutmegs and grated fresh
• 1 Cup red wine- I used 2
• 1 Cup beef stock- I used 2