It’s still not very nice outside. Spring in Berlin can be quite nasty, to be honest. Very cold, wet and windy. I really don’t like this time of year here in the city. You don’t want to spend more time inside after a cold and wet winter but going outside is still not an option if you want to stay warm and dry ;) Well… times like that demand hearty and delicious dishes – like this Farmer’s Stew with Minced Meat and Potatoes, for example. This dish will keep you warm and makes you forget the misery outside ;P
Fall and winter (and the time before spring finally arrives in Berlin) is the perfect time to cook all kinds of stews. The smell of a hot and bubbly pot of stew on the stove is very comforting and makes me happy every time. All you got to do for that is chopping and cooking some veggies and maybe some meat and at the end of the day you have a delicious dish without a lot of effort preparing it. Feierabend could not be better ;)
If you live in Germany you probably know this dish. Many supermarkets sell seasoning mixes in bags and this dish here is one of them that is quite popular I think. Back in the days we used these mixes sometimes for cooking but for a couple of years already we prefer to make those dishes from scratch. Mainly because the mixes (and all that weird stuff you can sometimes find on the ingredients list of the package) are not really needed to create a nice meal ;P
Anyway. The seasoning mixes always promise to make everything super easy and convenient. Guess what – not really true. You still have to chop stuff, fry and cook stuff – the same effort and time you have to invest if you do everything from scratch. If you have a basic stock of spices at home, you can create that seasoning mix yourself and save a little money in the process. Take a look at the list of ingredients on the back of the package – many of the things there are only in the mix for a longer shelf life. Nothing you actually need for a delicious stew.
The dishes themselves are not wrong – they are all based on popular dishes I guess. Often dishes your grandma probably made… My goal is to show you delicious dishes and maybe give you an alternative to those seasoning mixes – because all of these dishes can be made easily from scratch. Really. If you are into stews, for example, you could try this Cabbage Stew with Minced Meat and Potatoes – another dish for which you can get a spice mix. The homemade version tastes just as good… if not even better ;P
If you have any requests for dishes I should try without those pre-made seasoning mixes, feel free to comment below this recipe. The next one I might make from scratch is the very popular Pasta & Ham Gratin. That’s actually an easy one… let’s see.
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
some olive oil for frying
1.8 oz. (50g) bacon, diced
1 red onion, finely diced
2-3 garlic cloves, finely diced
17.6 oz. (500g) minced meat (pork and beef mixed)
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. paprika powder (hot)
23 oz. (650g) new potatoes or regular waxy potatoes
2 red bell peppers
1 1/2 cups (360ml) beef broth
1 can (14 oz./400g) chunky tomatoes
salt, pepper
sour cream to serve
some chopped parsley
etwas Olivenöl zum Anbraten
50g Speck, gewürfelt
1 rote Zwiebel, fein gewürfelt
2-3 Knoblauchzehen, fein gewürfelt
500g Hackfleisch, gemischt
2 EL Tomatenmark
1 TL frischer Rosmarin, gehackt
1 TL frischer Thymian, gehackt
1 TL getrockneter Oregano
1 TL Paprikapulver (scharf)
650g Frühkartoffeln oder normale Kartoffeln, festkochend
2 rote Paprikaschoten
360ml Rinderbrühe
1 Dose (400g) stückige Tomaten
Salz, Pfeffer
Schmand zum Servieren
etwas gehackte Petersilie
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
2. Add some olive oil to a large pot and heat up. Add the diced bacon and fry until slightly browned and crisp. Add the onion and garlic and fry until soft and translucent. Add the minced meat, break it apart and cook until nicely browned. Add the tomato paste, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and paprika powder, stir well and allow cooking with everything for a moment. Add the potatoes and peppers and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often. Deglaze with the beef broth and the chunky tomatoes, reduce heat and let simmer for about 25-30 minutes. The stew is ready when the potatoes are cooked, soft but not breaking apart. Season with salt and pepper and serve with some sour cream and chopped parsley.
2. Einen großen Topf mit etwas Olivenöl erhitzen. Die Speckwürfel dazugeben und ein wenig auslassen. Zwiebel und Knoblauch hinzufügen und glasig andünsten. Das Hackfleisch dazugeben und krümelig anbraten. Tomatenmark, Rosmarin, Thymian, Oregano und Paprikapulver dazugeben, gut unterrühren und kurz anschwitzen lassen. Die Kartoffeln und Paprika dazugeben und alles 1-2 Minuten mit anbraten. Mit der Rinderbrühe und den stückigen Tomaten ablöschen, Hitzezufuhr reduzieren und dann etwa 25-30 Minuten köcheln lassen. Der Bauerntopf ist fertig, wenn die Kartoffeln gar sind. Mit Salz und Pfeffer würzen und dann mit etwas Schmand und gehackter Petersilie servieren.
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Farmer’s Stew with Minced Meat and Potatoes
- Prep Time: 00:15
- Cook Time: 00:30
- Total Time: 00:45
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Stew
- Cuisine: Germany
Description
Winter and cold temperatures are perfect for this kind of dish: Farmer’s Stew with Minced Meat and Potatoes. Delicious and easy to prepare!
Ingredients
some olive oil for frying
1.8 oz. (50g) bacon, diced
1 red onion, finely diced
2–3 garlic cloves, finely diced
17.6 oz. (500g) minced meat (pork and beef mixed)
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. paprika powder (hot)
23 oz. (650g) new potatoes or regular waxy potatoes
2 red bell peppers
1 1/2 cups (360ml) beef broth
1 can (14 oz./400g) chunky tomatoes
salt, pepper
sour cream to serve
some chopped parsley
Instructions
1. Peel and finely dice the onion and garlic. Set aside. If you are using young potatoes, you don’t have to peel them, just clean them and cut them into quarters or sixths. Peel regular potatoes and cut them into bite-sized cubes. Place in cold water until ready to use. Clean the bell peppers and remove the seeds, then cut them into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
2. Add some olive oil to a large pot and heat up. Add the diced bacon and fry until slightly browned and crisp. Add the onion and garlic and fry until soft and translucent. Add the minced meat, break it apart and cook until nicely browned. Add the tomato paste, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and paprika powder, stir well and allow cooking with everything for a moment. Add the potatoes and peppers and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often. Deglaze with the beef broth and the chunky tomatoes, reduce heat and let simmer for about 25-30 minutes. The stew is ready when the potatoes are cooked, soft but not breaking apart. Season with salt and pepper and serve with some sour cream and chopped parsley.
Notes
Enjoy cooking!
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I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
I just discovered your blog while searching for soup and stew recipes to serve over the holidays. Everything looks great! And what a bonus for me that the recipes are in English too. Thanks for that; I’ve hit the jackpot! I’m quite the keen baker too so lots here for me to explore. I’ll check back in once I’ve actually tried a recipe, but for now I just wanted to say – lovely website and thanks for all your hard work.
Thanks a lot! :)