With fall ‘fest’ approaching, it’s time for some stew recipes

I’m constantly amazed at how quickly we transition from pasta salad to thick, warming stew weather in Kansas.

I can always tell when other parts of the country are starting to move into whatever the next season is, because my Pinterest suggestions suddenly begin showcasing a totally new genre of food. Right now, with Canadian Thanksgiving behind us, temperatures starting to dip and Halloween on the horizon, my feed is punctuated by lots of soups, pies and spooky treats.

I was glad for that shift this week, when I decided it was time to make my first soup of the season: an Oktoberfest-inspired stew that did not disappoint in the least.

This comes from the blog “The Cozy Apron” by Ingrid Beer. You can find her post at https://thecozyapron.com/oktoberfest-stew/. I swapped out the sausage and added extra garlic in my version below. I also doubled what is listed below, and that gave us plenty of leftovers to store in the freezer, too.

Print Recipe

Oktoberfest Stew

Oktoberfest stew includes all the flavors of the traditional celebration, from beer and sausage to cabbage and potatoes. Paired with a thick, crusty slice of bread, it makes for a cozy, warming dinner.

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: German

Keyword: beer, beer brats, bratwurst, cabbage, caramelized onions, caraway seeds, dunkel, fresh garlic, garlic, German stew, lager, marzen, minced garlic, Octoberfest meal, Oktoberfest meal, onion, parsley, potatoes, Russet potato

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion sliced thinly (I used white)
• 16 to 19 ounces beer brats cut into half-inch rounds
• 1/2 head cabbage thinly sliced or 10 ounces coleslaw cabbage
• 1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds ground or whole
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6 to 8 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup Oktoberfest style lager like a marzen or a dunkel
• 2 large Russet potatoes cut into one-inch pieces
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
• 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley

Instructions

• Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven with a lid over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion, and saute until it is soft and starting to caramelize.
• Add the sausage, and saute until there is no pink left (no worries about internal temperature, it’s going to get plenty of cook time).
• Stir in the cabbage, letting it cook until it’s wilted down and starting to lightly brown.
• Add in the caraway seed, salt, pepper, and the garlic, letting the garlic saute for a few minutes, or just until it starts to smell nice.
• Add in the lager and stir, letting the mixture marry for about five minutes to let the beer reduce just a smidgeon.
• Add the potatoes and stock, and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring regularly. Once the stew is boiling, turn the heat to low, and place the lid slightly askew on the pot, letting it cook for 40 minutes. Stir occasionally while it simmers.
• When it’s done, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the apple cider vinegar and dried parsley. Serve alongside a slice of crusty bread.

This stew was delicious. The flavor combinations were out of this world, with the starchiness of the potatoes, the maltiness from the lager and the slight sweetness of the cabbage all complimenting the sausage. I baked a loaf of beer bread to go with our stew, and it paired beautifully.

And with the temperatures dipping just enough to let us turn off our air conditioner and open our windows, we enjoyed a great meal.

I can’t wait to savor this season of recipes for the next few weeks, at least until somebody somewhere starts posting about Christmas.

This piece first appeared in print on Oct. 17, 2024.

Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.