Ahhh Stew

Timothy Pepper’s Ahhh Stew Recipe

Into a large Crock Pot (or other slow stewing device) place the following items:

1. One package of Hillshire Farms Lit’l Smokies Sausages. (Other forms of sausage may be substituted but they should be a rather hardy sausage)

2. 3 normal sized carrots pre-chopped into bite sized pieces (I dare say a 4th or even 5th carrot would not have gone astray)

3. 4 pre-chopped organic celery stalks (I’m certain that non-organic celery will result in an inferior stew)

4. 2 diced tomatoes (I’m aware that there is a vast array of tomato varieties in your local supermarket. You’re on your own here but I imagine any tomato that is good for making sauces would do the job nicely)

5. 5 to 7 small-medium white potatoes and 5 to 7 small-medium red potatoes. (If you are using large potatoes cut them into large pieces or you will end up with a pulpy mess on your hands. If using small potatoes stab them to allow for increased flavor absorption through the skin.)

6. ¾ large diced onion. If you are an onion freak (I’m not) you may wish to use the entire onion.
7. 1 halved jalapeno pepper with the seeds. (You may wish to alter the chili pepper variety and/or number to suit your taste.)

8. 1 pinch of cinnamon or if you have it a cinnamon stick (but then you have to fish out the barky bits when you eat the stew.

9. 3 chopped cloves of garlic.

10. 1 pinch of cayenne pepper. (You may prefer to add a dash but certainly a dollop would be right out of the question)

11. 1 sniff of All Spice (actually I may have used a pinch here as well)

12. 1 can of vegetable soup (mine had alphabet noodles in it which I could have done without…stewing makes them mushy)

13. Top with water until the potatoes are partially submerged.

Turn the stewing device on then leave the house until the stewing process is well under way. Doing so means you get to be pleasantly blasted by the aroma of Tim Pepper’s Ahhh Stew upon your return. When stewing is done stir the contents of the stewing device, spoon some into a bowl and eat with glee. What better way to enjoy your stew than hunkering down in your favorite chair and listening to Tim Pepper’s album Beautiful Frustration (available on iTunes and CD Baby…preview the cd at www.myspace.com/pepperhouse).

Addendum: I forgot to mention there's a can of beans in there somewhere...