Now I’m a lazy person. I go for the easiest recipe I can find that looks good on paper, with the fewest dishes to wash and the lowest number of steps. Slow cooking in a ‘crock pot’ is the lazy guy’s (gal’s) way to cook. It’s economical too, you can us almost any vegetables or meat and it usually tastes good-or at least edible.

Ingredients

6 or 8 spuds, chopped (or in this case slabbed)
2 carrots, chopped
Some celery sticks to taste (3-4 for me), chopped
8 oz ( 226 g) mushrooms, chopped
8 oz ( 226 g) stew meat, chopped and lightly sautéed
2 cups (340 g) stock or bone broth
2 cups (340 g) water
1/2 medium size yellow onion, chopped
1 clove elephant garlic, 1 clove garlic, chopped
2 bay leaves
Tablespoon (14.3 g) bacon drippings
Teaspoon parsley
1/2 teaspoon (2.45 g) salt
1/2 teaspoon (2.45 g) black pepper
1/2 teaspoon (2.45 g) thyme
1/4 teaspoon (1.23 g) sage

Takes about an hour to prepare if you don’t take pictures while working: 6 hours on low to cook. Less time needed for the high temperature setting I am guessing.

Makes about 8-10 cups (1400 g): I froze 5 cups.

The theory of chopping is to make everything more or less uniform in size so it all cooks at the same time. I usually chop and then mix everything in the pot but this time I layered it, cutting the spuds in tabular slabs for the fun of it.

At bottom I layered the potato slabs, then the carrots, celery, onions, garlic(s), and finally the organic crimini mushrooms.

Sautée stew meat on medium for 5 minutes or so in the bacon fat until brownish. I used pasture raised fajita stew beef. I splash in some tamari sauce for flavor while stirring and turning frequently.

I cover the vegetables (and fungus) evenly, pouring the bacon fat and meat juice on top.

I put in the spices, then pour the filtered water and soup stock over everything. I make the soup stock/bone broth myself because the store-bought stock does not compare.

Cook on low for about 6 hours. I put the cooker in the garage because, although it smells great, it does smell strong.

Now I wash the dishes and get on with my busy day. When the timer dings, Viola! Eureka! California! Delicious almost-paleo stew the lazy guy’s (gal’s) way.

After using all those fresh, organic, paleo-style ingredients (caveman tamari sauce?) I topped it with aged Parmesan cheese, because a cavemen (cavewoman) could run down and milk a wild aurochs I think I read somewhere.

I lose even more paleo street-cred by topping it again with cottage cheese and eating it with those thin thin Finnish rye crackers. Don’t tell any of the guys (gals) down at the Paleo Eaters Union (PEU) local or I could lose my card.

I like knowing the stew’s in the freezer so I can fast longer in the mornings. When famished enough I can quickly thaw and eat a hot, tasty, nutritious meal that’s cheaper than junk food; that’s the post-modern paleo way for easy intermittent fasting. Slow cooker cooking has a lot to offer the lazy guy (gal) seeking to eat right.

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