Karl’s Wise Sage Stew

Adapted from a recipe on The Hobbit

Eilene and her friends are still watching the Tolkien Ring Trilogy. For lunch I served them sausage, raw carrots, and lembas bread. Eilene is tied of beef, so I am making a pork stew for dinner. They have also requested more lembas bread (yes, it was that good).

Karl’s Wise Sage Stew

The original recipe I used called for only meat, potatoes, and an over abundance of herbs. Dwarves may be able to live on meat and potatoes alone, but I am feeding teenage girls. I have included ingredients that you might carry while traveling or scavenge in the wild along the way (if you know where to look).

Experience trekkers know to keep small packets of cooking herbs and salt with them at all times. While you may find patches of wild root vegetables along your path, the herbs may be more difficult to find. While I did not personally kill the wild pig with my bow, or dig up the wild carrots and onions, this is a meal to sustain you on a long journey (or at least while you are watching a long journey).

Karl’s Wise Sage Stew

Ingredients

2½ lb. pork (today kill, if possible), cut into 1 inch pieces

1 Tbs. pork fat, from today kill (or butter)
1 medium wild onion, coarsely chopped
½ tsp. salt
3 cloves wild garlic, crushed
2 lb. wild potatoes, coarsely chopped
½ lb. wild carrots, coarsely chopped
½ lb. wild turnips, coarsely chopped
1 Tbs. sage, rubbed
2 tsp. tarragon, dried
1 tsp. rosemary, dried
1 tsp. fennel seeds, lightly crushed
½ tsp. black pepper, fresh cracked

A drizzle of Truffle oil (optional)

Directions

1. In a large Dutch oven, melt the butter and, over a medium high fire (or stove burner), brown the pork well on one or two sides. Remove and set aside.

2. Without cleaning the pot, sauté the onions and salt until the onions are starting to pick up some color.

Tip: Use the moisture released by the onions to help scrap any fond free from the bottom of the pot so that it does not burn.

3. Add the garlic and sauté one minute more, until fragrant.

4. Add the potatoes, carrots and turnips to the pot. Stir to mix the vegetables together and add 1½ cup of cold stream water.

Tip: If you wish, you may dice one potato finely, so that it overcooks, beaks apart, and thickens the gravy.

5. Scatter the pork pieces over the vegetables, but do not stir them in.

6. Sprinkle the herbs and pepper over the meat and vegetables.

7. Cover the pot and cook over a low fire (or stove burner) for roughly 40 minutes.

8. Stir once or twice while cooking, being careful to scrape the bottom of the pot so that it does not scorch.

9. Check the seasoning and serve with a drizzle of Truffle oil, lambas bread and cold stream water (hey, in any real trek the beer doesn’t make it past the first day)