Anyone who has read Strangers Have the Best Candy knows the secret ingredient to a great Brunswick Stew. If you haven’t got the book, you can read the fun story here on the Foodie Gazette.
Because of that experience, I’ve already got two Brunswick stew recipes here on the site:
This third one came about because I’m trying to eat more healthy, and I had two interesting ingredients on hand: a can of green jackfruit and a batch of baby limas that I created with my new Instant Pot pressure cooker.
My food tester said it was yummy, and he doesn’t mind eating healthy if it tastes like this!
1 T oil
1 can green jackfruit
1 large onion, diced
1 C chopped celery
4C veggie stock (I used water and Better Than Bouillon, but it’s super-salty)
2 bay leaves
1-2 T soy sauce (if you’re not vegan, you can use Worcestershire sauce, based on the original recipe)
1/4 t black pepper
1-2 t Liquid Smoke
1 C cooked baby lima beans
Handful of frozen peas
1-2 potatoes, diced
20 baby carrots, chopped
1 C frozen or canned corn (the original recipe used creamed corn)
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes, not drained (you can double this, but reduce the water by a cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Cayenne pepper and salt to taste
1 T Special Secret Ingredient that everyone should have in their kitchen
In a large pot, saute the jackfruit, onion, and celery in a tablespoon of oil until the jackfruit starts to brown and a crust forms on the bottom of the pan. Break up the jackfruit with a spatula or a couple of forks.
Deglaze the pan with the veggie stock and add the spices.
Throw in everything else and simmer until the carrots and potatoes are done. I usually wait and add the garlic near the end, because the flavor ends up stronger.