Classic green bean stew

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 600 g runner beans
• 600 g potatoes
• 1 large leg of beef, approx. 600 g
• 2 onions
• 1 tbsp clarified butter
• 1 bunch of soup vegetables (leek, carrot, celery, parsley)
• 3 sprigs savory
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cloves
• Nutmeg, freshly grated
• Salt
• pepper
• 2 liters of water

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 2 hours; Total time approx. 3 hours

Stew for people who love the taste of “back in (great) grandma’s”

Wash the soup vegetables, slice the leek (except for the dark green parts) (approx. 1 cm), dice the carrot and celery (previously peeled) (approx. 1 cm per side), and roughly chop the parsley with the stems. Peel the potatoes, de-string the beans (remove the tough “back strings” from older beans with a kitchen knife), and cut both into roughly equal-sized, bite-sized pieces. Peel an onion and finely dice. Wash 1 onion with its skin on and cut it in half. Place them cut-side down in a hot, ungreased pan and fry until the cut surfaces are dark brown (feel free to press firmly on the onion). Then remove the pan and press the cloves into the cut surfaces of the onion. In a sufficiently large pot (it should hold about 4-5 liters), bring 2 liters of water with about 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil. Add the shank, rinsed under running water, to the boiling water, along with the browned onion halves studded with cloves. Bring everything back to a boil. Then reduce the heat so it simmers gently. Simmer for about 1 hour. Now add the bay leaves, savory, and the prepared vegetables. Let it simmer for a good half hour to 40 minutes. This will give the broth a rich vegetable flavor. When the vegetables appear leached (i.e., become pale), strain the broth through a sieve. Drain the vegetables well (they will not be used again) and then return the broth to the pot. Once the meat has cooled, cut it into bite-sized pieces. Trim any excess meat you don’t want to eat. Fry the diced onions in clarified butter until translucent. Add the diced potatoes and beans to the broth and bring back to a boil until it simmers. Cook for about 20 minutes, until the beans and potatoes are tender. Five minutes before serving, add the meat cubes (they should leach as little as possible) and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Result: A fine, solid, and intense flavor from my childhood at Grandma’s. Tips and hints: – Fry the halved onion while the water for the leg of shank is boiling. – Prepare the soup vegetables while the leg is cooking. – Dice the second onion and fry it while the soup vegetables are cooking. Meanwhile, prepare the beans and potatoes. The meat must be cooked through. The exact time depends on the thickness and quality of the leg of shank. You should remove it when it feels tender to the touch. This can be after the first hour; if not, let it simmer with the soup vegetables until it is. The shorter the cooking time, the tastier it will be. If you’re experienced with using mace (nutmeg), you can add an extra nutmeg kick by cooking it with the dish. But be careful, it’s very intense. In this case, omit the grated nutmeg.