Midwest Living's Bouja / Burgoo

Hey Jude's Note:

Bouja is traditionally an upper Midwest (Minnesota) stew, while Burgoo is a specialty of the lower Midwest (Kentucky). In either case, it's what I would call a 'stew of opportunity', meaning that whatever you have on hand is what goes into the pot. In the past, squirrels were a main ingredient of the Burgoo. Anyway, I found this delicious combination recipe in Midwest Living and it made my house smell yummy, you can add squirrel if you like!

• Total Time: 2 hrs 20 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast , cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 -2 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 lb boneless beef chuck , cut into 3/4 inch cubes
• 6 cups water
• 1 medium onion , chopped
• 4 teaspoons instant chicken bouillon granules or 4 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme , crushed
• 1 medium potato , cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables (green beans, corn, carrots and peas)
• 1 cup cubedrutabagas or 1 cup turnip
• ½ cup coarsely chopped green sweet peppers or ½ cup sweet red pepper
• ½ cup sliced celery
• 1 (14 ½ ounce) can tomatoes , cut up
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• salt & freshly ground black pepper , if needed

Directions:

1. In a large cooking pot, cook the chicken in 1 tablespoon hot cooking oil until no pink remains; remove the chicken from the pot, cover and chill but reserve the drippings in the pot.
2. Brown the cubed beef chuck in the remaining drippings in the pot, adding more oil if needed.
3. Add the water, chopped onion, instant bouillon granules and the dried thyme to the pot; bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 1 hour.
4. Add the remaining ingredients to the cooking pot and stir to combine; return the mixture to boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes more, or until vegetables and meat are tender.
5. Stir in the cooked chicken and heat through; season to taste with some salt and some additional pepper, if you like.

Reviews

[Bill Hilbrich]

Here in Central Minnesota, where the stew is called BOUJA, we put a handful of Pickling spices into a mesh bag and leave it there until the taste is almost addictive. But, the the meats and vegetable collection looks about right. I think the decision about squirrel meat depends on their diet. If those critters have been living on Pine Cones, they can spoil a pot of stew real quick. Bill

[jean wedding]

Hey Jude. I am from Kentucky and have been eating burgoo all my life. I have never heard of adding squirrel. The Churches is this area sell burgoo by the gallons at their summer picnics. My husband and I just made 15 gallons ourselves. Our recipe is quite different from yours. I liked this one but it tasted more like a soup.