I’ve been so busy at work these past weeks that my crockpot has been sitting there lonely! So I fired it up again today with a nutritious stew. Even paleo-haters can hardly pooh-pooh this dish. There’s protein, starch (in the form of plantains) and veggies all in one pot.
Start with the meat. I used beef chuck short ribs because it has more fat than stew meat. Cut into chunks and put into the crockpot.
Next, cut up the plantains into chunks. You can use ripe or green plantains. If you use green plantains (like here), I found it easiest to peel them by first slicing them into chunks and then cutting off the skin using a good knife.
You can add other vegetables (e.g., onions, swiss chard, kale), but I went for some collard greens, which I just chopped up and threw into the crockpot as well.
The spices come last – I went for a Caribbean taste with my choice of spices to go with the plantains. I put in lots of paprika, some chili powder, cayenne pepper, allspice powder, and salt. Add 3 cups of water and then mix everything up well.
Ingredients
- 2.5 lb beef chuck short ribs, cut into chunks (or other stew meat)
- 6 plantains (ripe or green), skin removed and cut into chunks
- 3 cups of chopped collard greens (can use other vegetables instead)
- 3 cups of water
- 1/3 cup of paprika
- 1/4 cup of garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons of salt (or to taste)
- 3 tablespoons of allspice
- 1 teaspoon of chili powder
- 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients into the crockpot.
- Set crockpot on low temperature and cook for 8 hours.
- Stir occasionally.
Alexandra January 4, 2013 at 8:35 pm
I love plantains in stews/soups. I will definitely be trying this!
Louise January 4, 2013 at 8:36 pm
Let me know how it turns out Alexandra!
Emma January 25, 2013 at 5:39 am
Ever tried this with lamb?
Louise January 25, 2013 at 5:57 am
Not yet (I’m not a big fan of lamb sadly), although I’m pretty sure it would work well.
Donna May 15, 2013 at 4:36 pm
Just made this with coconut milk instead of water and it is SO good! Thanks for the recipe, we love it.
Louise May 15, 2013 at 4:41 pm
Great idea! Thanks Donna