Hopkins County Stew

INGREDIENTS:

1 large onion
2 – 3 carrots
3-4 cloves of garlic
4-5 russet potatoes
2 lb. chicken
1 big can stewed tomatoes
1 can of HOT Rotel tomatoes
3 cups of V8 (HOT)
bundle of parsley, thyme & bay leaf
1 Tbs. chili powder
2 tsp. cayenne
2 tsp. paprika
salt & pepper
1 can of corn
1 can of creamed corn
1 can of green beans
cheddar cheese
saltines
pickles

RECIPE GUIDE:

I am pretty sure I am breaking the rules of Hopkins County Stew by writing this recipe, because it is sanctimoniously not written down. The true quality of this dish is within the power to make it your own, specific to your family and the ingredients that you have on hand. But, here’s my favorite way…

Get all of your ingredients chopped, measured out, and prepared; cans of corn and green beans strained, carrots, onion and garlic chopped. Peel and chop your potato into large chunks, the potato will become smaller the longer it cooks. Prepare your chicken, whichever way you prefer. You can shred a rotisserie chicken, boil chicken and shred, or season, pan sear and shred. I choose the last option so I can be specific about the seasonings I add to the chicken before searing. In the same pan where you sear your chicken, add in two tablespoons of butter (or more). Next, add in the onion and carrots, sauté until soft.

Once your vegetables are soft, add in the garlic and sauté for another minute to allow the garlic to become fragrant. Cover the vegetables with chicken broth and simmer to reduce for about 8-10 minutes. (Did I mention you’re going to need a really big pot…) Once reduced a bit, add in the V8 (I always use spicy), stewed tomatoes, Rotel tomatoes, chicken, potatoes and a bundle of herbs, if using. At this time, also add in your spices (this is where personality comes in, my spice personality is fucking spicy so beware of that in my measurements). Combine, boil, simmer, and leave for about 30 minutes.

Once your house is beginning to smell and your stew has formed a nice layer of grease on the top, you’re ready to skim and add more! This is optional, but I like to skim the grease off the top of the stew using a large spoon, this helps the ending texture. Then add the last ingredients, canned corn, creamed corn, canned green beans, and cheddar cheese chunks. The stew can sit to simmer and combine for as little or as long as you want. Taste your stew to test the flavors, I will throw in about 2 tablespoons of sugar to compliment the spice, but this is also optional.

Hopkins County dwellers play with this stew using things like mashed potatoes, bacon and various spices, but purists will tell you, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ Hopkins County stew is best served with saltine crackers, dill pickles, sharp cheddar cheese and loved ones. Happy slurping

THOUGHTS ‘BOUT HOME

In North-East Texas many miles from a metropolitan area, settles a small, tight-knit community. In Mid-October as the sun slowly begins shortening her gaze and the cool air of winter teases, a specific dish comes back around. The kind of dish you can smell before you even start cooking, its’ familiarity and nostalgia surround you warmly. Early in the morning on the fourth Saturday in October, this comfort can be found in more than 150 cauldrons in the middle of a park. Approximately 5,000 bowls of stew will be eaten, cheese and crackers will be dunked, and a few families will dress ceremoniously in 18th century attire to honor the history of the stew.

The Hopkins County Stew Festival began in 1969, but the stew was born many years before. The stew was founded to fill a need to feed many people cheaply, so families from all over the county brought together onion, tomato, corn, potatoes and meat. In its’ earliest years, the stew was mostly made with squirrel, but today is it more common to have chicken or beef.

I have never had squirrel in my stew, but I remember eating Hopkins County Stew for school lunch in the fall with peanut butter sandwiches and saltines. And standing cold in the line at the park waiting for seconds of Don Sapaugh’s award winning chicken stew, and years of bowls at my grammy’s house on the first night when it was truly cold outside. So when I reached out to my family and friends asking their favorite fall comfort foods, almost every person responded this stew. Family who taught me how to make this dish and friends who’ve tasted my versions over the years, all find the same comfort and a sense of home in this warm bowl. I think this stew perfectly encapsulates the essence of my hometown, whose spirit of tradition and camaraderie overflow.In North-East Texas many miles from a metropolitan area, settles a small, tight-knit community. In Mid-October as the sun slowly begins shortening her gaze and the cool air of winter teases, a specific dish comes back around. The kind of dish you can smell before you even start cooking, its’ familiarity and nostalgia surround you warmly. Early in the morning on the fourth Saturday in October, this comfort can be found in more than 150 cauldrons in the middle of a park. Approximately 5,000 bowls of stew will be eaten, cheese and crackers will be dunked, and a few families will dress ceremoniously in 18th century attire to honor the history of the stew.

The Hopkins County Stew Festival began in 1969, but the stew was born many years before. The stew was founded to fill a need to feed many people cheaply, so families from all over the county brought together onion, tomato, corn, potatoes and meat. In its’ earliest years, the stew was mostly made with squirrel, but today is it more common to have chicken or beef.

I have never had squirrel in my stew, but I remember eating Hopkins County Stew for school lunch in the fall with peanut butter sandwiches and saltines. And standing cold in the line at the park waiting for seconds of Don Sapaugh’s award winning chicken stew, and years of bowls at my grammy’s house on the first night when it was truly cold outside. So when I reached out to my family and friends asking their favorite fall comfort foods, almost every person responded this stew. Family who taught me how to make this dish and friends who’ve tasted my versions over the years, all find the same comfort and a sense of home in this warm bowl. I think this stew perfectly encapsulates the essence of my hometown, whose spirit of tradition and camaraderie overflow.