Potato/turnip stew with skirt steak and bacon

I was doing an inventory of the freezer in our kitchen refrigerator and came across a hunk of mystery meat. When I thawed it, I discovered it was 10 oz. of skirt steak, whoopee! I had thought it might be some generic top round or chuck steak.

I was influenced by What Megan’s Making the other day – her recipe for carrot and parsnip soup. When I got to the Safeway I decided to go with potato and turnip. The result was a very satisfying supper. Rachel Ray would call this a “stoup”, thinner than a stew and thicker than a soup.

As for the tomato puree, I just happened to have some left. Use a bit of tomato paste or diced tomato, whatever you have.

Melange of potato, turnip, steak and bacon
2 tsp olive oil
1 slice thick-cut bacon, cut into ½ “ dice
10 oz. any kind of steak, sliced very thin against the grain
1 large red potato, not peeled, cubed to ½”
1 turnip, about the same size as the potato, peeled and cubed to ½”
¼ large onion, finely chopped
½ cup tomato puree
chicken broth
garlic powder
onion powder
salt and pepper
½ frozen corn

Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium. Add the bacon and cook until crisp. Add the beef and cook 2 minutes, tossing frequently. Remove bacon and steak with a slotted spoon to a paper towel to drain.

Add a bit more oil if needed. Saute the potato, turnip and onion for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the tomato (in whatever form you have). Add enough chicken stock to come up to the level of the vegetables in the pan. It’s not necessary to totally cover them. Add garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper to taste. Add the steak and bacon. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook 15 minutes. Stir in frozen corn, remove pan from heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes.

It’s ready. Garnish with anything you can think of you’d like: parsley, cilantro.