Hobo Stew

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon of oil
• 1 cup of chopped onion
• 1/2 cup of chopped mixed sweet and hot peppers
• 1/2 cup of celery
• 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
• 1-1/2 pounds of ground beef
• 2 tablespoons of all purpose flour
• 1-1/2 cups of beef stock or broth
• 3 (11.5 ounce) cans of original or spicy V-8, or tomato juice
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can of diced tomatoes
• 2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 cups of fresh diced carrots (about 2 large)
• 2 cups of corn
• 2 cups of cut green beans
• Dash of Worcestershire sauce
• Couple dashes of hot sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama), or to taste, optional
• 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper, or to taste

Instructions

In the bottom of a Dutch oven or other heavy pot, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, peppers and celery; cook and stir until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and ground beef, cook and stir until meat is browned and cooked through. Drain off excess fat. Sprinkle meat with flour; cook and stir for 3 minutes. Add the beef stock, V-8 juice and diced tomatoes. Stir in the potatoes, carrots, corn and green beans. Add Worcestershire, hot sauce and seasonings to taste. Stir, cover and simmer over medium to medium low (low bubble) for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, or until veggies are tender, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Hobo stew can be served as is, or spooned over rice or mashed potatoes. Serve with hot cornbread, biscuits or rolls.

Cook's Notes: Use other meats such as stew meat, venison, bacon, Italian sausage, smoked sausage, andouille or kielbasa - all good choices. If using a stewing type of meat, allow it to cook in the base veggies and juice for about 1 hour before adding in the vegetables. Use fresh or frozen vegetables, or may substitute 1 can of drained carrots, corn and cut green beans or use a variety of other vegetables or beans, such as mixed vegetables, shredded cabbage, black-eyed peas, pinto beans, hominy, turnips, kidney beans, great northern beans, lima beans. You'll want around 5 to 6 cups fresh or frozen, or about 3 (15 ounce) cans. If using canned vegetables, allow the potatoes and carrots to cook for 30 minutes before adding in the canned vegetables.

Also okay to use lower sodium or spicy V-8, but taste stew to adjust seasonings up or down as needed. If using spicy, take into consideration hot peppers and other spicy seasonings you use. May also substitute a can of Rotel tomatoes for the diced, if desired.

Crockpot: Saute the vegetables and brown the meat as above; add that along with the remaining ingredients to a 6 quart slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or until veggies are tender.

Variation: To convert to a Hobo Soup, increase the beef stock/broth to about 4 cups or to desired consistency.

Notes: I used steak instead of hamburger and the second time I made it I just used vegetables. I also cut out the oil and didn't bother sauteing anything. Very yummy.