Simple Autumn Harvest Stew

Last weekend, in trying to figure out something mild* and comforting for us to eat as we hunkered down with Sprout while the winds whipped around outside, I decided to throw a bunch of items in a pot, call it a Harvest Stew, and see how it all turned out!  If you have been around this space for a while, you know I don’t do well without following recipes, but I was feeling a little adventurous, so I just dove in and trusted it would turn out OK!

• Place your Dutch Oven (or large pot) on the stove over medium heat
• Cut up bacon into 1 inch pieces and crisp up in Dutch Oven
• Cut the carrots, potatoes and butternut squash into 1/2 inch chunks
• Remove bacon from pan and set to drain
• Saute chicken in bacon grease, turning once, until cooked through
• Remove chicken from pan and set to cool
• Place potatoes, butternut squash and carrots into your Dutch Oven and stir to coat in the leftover bacon grease
• Pour in both quarts of chicken stock
• Peel and chop your apples into 1/4-1/2 inch chunks and add to the pot
• Peel your cooled chicken and add it to your pot
• Simmer for ~45 minutes over medium heat until all veggies are tender but not too soft
• Once cooked through, stir in your cooked bacon to warm
• Serve hot, preferably with fresh, buttered bread (though crackers work just as well)

• The bacon contains enough saltiness to not require any additional salting
• *This stew is considered “mild” because of the lack of herbs, spices and tomato base.  Oh, and no onions or garlic. Each of the ingredients are easy on the digestive system with the exception of maybe the bacon (depending on your system).  We are watching Kim’s food intake since she is breastfeeding Sprout and Sprout’s system is still so new and sensitive.