This week I have a -couple- of goodies to post, but I’ll start today with a family favorite for cold nights, “Homer Stew”. I explain in the video above a bit about WHY the name is what it is. It was my grandfather’s recipe that the railroad guys would fix, though I have heard later in life it should be credited more specifically to, Johnny Bryant of Crenshaw, Mississippi.
I spent my Summers as a child at my Grandmother’s in Hardy, Mississippi. She was the widow of a railroad man (Homer Brown) and lived in the SMALL Railroad house… Maybe 20-30 feet off the tracks. The whole house would rumble as it passed. It was a comforting feeling, not obtrusive as you might think. It was kind of like an old friend who passed to check on you each morning and night… you’d wave, peek out the window, scurry up the old Mimosa Tree for a closer look, check your flattened penny you had left on the track. At night we would sit on the porch swing and rock and rock.
Crickets taking the soprano part… tree frogs, alto and the low pitch of the porch swing as your feet shuffled percussion softly underneath.
Sometimes quiet. Sometimes talk of the day. Sometimes shelling those last basket of beans… always looking for the “City of New Orleans”. She passed at night back then, and you could see inside her car windows. Warm, yellow, lights with curtains pulled back. I always imagined they were have a fancy meal while traveling the country. Yeh, I fell in love with those iron horses young.
There is something VERY IMPORTANT about spending a lot of time with people older than than us. I am blessed to have had that, i learned stuff no school could have ever given me.
The recipe is not a fancy one… not an expensive one but is a good one to share and was placed once in a church cookbook next to this Proverb(28:27) “He that giveth to the poor, shall not lack…” I really like that and so i try not to ever make it that i don’t ask someone over to share.
Homer Stew:
1 pound of cubed beef or hamburger meat
1 chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic
8-10 potatoes chopped
water
(4) 8 oz cans of tomato sauce
(2) cans of kidney beans
salt & pepper to taste
Brown the beef and onion
(if beef is not lean… DRAIN the grease)
Add just enough water to cook the chopped potatoes
add all other ingredients to the water and potatoes.
NOW…..
want more of a chili twist to your beef stew???
Use 2 pounds of lean ground beef (instead of the one above)
Add these additional spices:
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper powder
EITHER WAY YOU MAKE IT… TOP WITH:
sharp (or extra sharp) cheddar
and plain jane saltine crackers
PERFECT for game day too!
Love all your recipes, have you one for cabbage soup my wife made some and it was really good.
I don’t…. but recently had a cabbage and corned beef stew from “HighCotton” restaurant and it was awesome… I like cabbage!
Love it , Nothing better that , a big Pot of stew. I like you make it with diff ingried. sometimes. I had a littl rest. and 1 time a week I would cook a big pot of Stew with choice of sandwich. Love it , I will be trying this.
I guess it was the things that the railroad guys could carry with them… think about it. Potatoes and onions keep well were other veg. don’t. I also included an alternate spice combo that makes it like a chili with potatoes.. I like that one too
I can’t believe Aunt Eva called this: “Homer Stew” H.H. Brown obtained a lot of bad rap he didn’t deserve. When I was first introduced to this stew, many of our family had bad gall bladders and the garlic was left out. At first it was very thick, the tomato paste was changed to sauce, and that was even changed at a later date when Daddy developed high blood pressure and the salt content was a concern.
Homer was a big influence in my doing woodwork. I was no more than 12 years old when he explained cutting steps. Nothing was put on paper he just told it to Tommy and me. It stayed with me and was a great aid whenever my M.O.S. in the Mississippi National Guard became carpenter.
…Hahaaaaa and THAT is how family stories grow Hahaaaa. My guess is Homer took the stew recipe to the railroad the- VEY cool part of the story i dod not know
and Yes, i remember there being tomato paste in it too at times
*Very that is
(((and my mom may have altered the name, not sure Mama Eva did that????)))
Now that’s why Margie said credit it to…… (I have the name in the writing above)
Had not tried it yet but sounds great will comment after trying it.
can’t wait to hear Benny
Kimberly I made Homer Stew the other night and it was WONDERFUL!!!! Thank you so much for sharing your recipes with us.
Oh, I love that you git to try it… it has been a favorite since a kid and then generations behind that
Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to let me know- that’s very sweet of you
For the love of God, keep writing these arctleis.
Haaahaa… ok
got.. opps, not “git”
i will try this for sure,it won’t be long before a good cool night will be along,thank you. i enjoy your videos,please don’t stop
Thanks Sandra… let me know what you think
Yummy, I am vegetarian so I can add some meat crumbles to this and have a hearty meal! thanks!