Man, I gotta say, I LOVE everything about FALL, AUTUMN, or any other name we could call it!
The warm sun, crisp air, deepening colors of the landscape, the energizing spirit of it all….with the heat of Summer gone, I really believe Fall is uplifting, both in spirit and body!
On my Instagram posts, I’ve been talking about, sharing and anticipating our Fall lake party, this is the 2nd year in a row…..and we refer to it as the “Hobo Stew” party. Originally scheduled for October, the month was so crazy busy for us, that we had to postpone to November, the first weekend. Fortunately, all of our friends, a small group, could still attend.
So…….what exactly is Hobo Stew? Ha! Several people have asked me that…guess I should never assume that everyone knows what I’m talking about.
When I first heard of Hobo Stew, it was at a church camp when I was in middle school. In a very large, heavy pot, each camper added an ingredient that they had chosen, primarily vegetables of all sorts. The counselors had already added a meat, cut into bite size chunks or shredded, broth, and spices. On a grate, over a campfire, the soup would simmer for hours, until the meat was tender. That’s pretty much it…..Hobo Stew!
The entire concept of the Stew was, at church camp,..that individually, we each had very little, not enough to feed ourselves, but coming together as a group, and each one giving all that they had, now we had more than enough to feed all of us! A simple lesson in giving to others.
This is how I made the Hobo Stew:
I started with a 4lb. Chuck Roast, that I put on high for 6 hours in a crock pot, to the roast I added 1 packet of Lipton Beefy Onion soup mix ,1-1/2 C. of water, sea salt and black pepper to the top of the roast, and about 1 Tbs. of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, also on the top.
After the 6 hours, I removed the lid, and with 2 forks, shredded the beef . Leave all of the meat and seasonings in the crock pot. You will add this to the stew pot.
To the stew pot, add the roast, with the remaining liquid and spices, and add 3 boxes of Beef Broth.
Then I added 5 small potatoes, chopped, 5 large carrots, peeled and chopped into 1″ slices, 3 medium onions, diced. I lightly salted the raw vegetables. (optional) I always cook to taste, and that’s an individual preference.
I then added 1 large bag of mixed frozen vegetables.
Covered the pot and put it on the grate. After it boiled for about 1/2 hour, I took a spoonful to check the seasonings, I did add 1 more tsp. of salt.
Put the lid back on, simmer for 2 hours or so, then it’s ready to serve. As long as the raw vegetables are soft, and you like the seasonings, it’s ready to go!
Enjoy!
One more thing: I use old diner cups ( or a soup mug with a handle), because we were eating outside, and it was easy to carry/hold.
