Basic Starch Free Stew

This stew is a household staple and is really good as leftovers. The recipe is adapted from Jamie's Food Revolution cookbook. He gives four basic combinations: beef and ale, chicken and white wine, pork and cider or lamb and red wine. The one I usually make is pork and cider, but any of these combinations would be tasty (and starch free!) and they're provided at the end of the post. I changed a few of the amounts and left out a couple of ingredients that were starchy.

Basic Stew Recipe
serves 4-6
3-4 stalks celery, trimmed of ends and chopped
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
3-4 large tomatoes, diced
olive oil
salt and pepper
3 sprigs fresh sage or 1-2 teaspoons ground sage
1 pound diced stewing pork
2 cups medium dry hard cider

Put a Dutch oven on the stove on medium heat. Put all the vegetables and the sage into the pan with about 3 tablespoons olive oil and fry for 10 minutes. Add the pork, then pour in the cider and tomatoes. Give it a good stir, then season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, put the lid on and simmer slowly for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the lid for the final 1/2 hour of simmering and add a little water if it's looking dry. When done, the meat should be really tender. Remove the herb stalks before serving and add salt and pepper to taste. I like to add a little sour cream when serving, to make it creamier and cool it down.

Beef and ale: 2 hours simmering
3 fresh or dried bay leaves
1 lb. diced stewing beef
2 cups brown ale, Guinness or stout

Chicken and white wine: 1 hour simmering
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 lb. diced, boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 cups white wine

Lamb and red wine: 2 hours simmering
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 lb. diced stewing lamb
2 cups red wine