Slow Keto stew with French and Greek inspiration
Keto stew that I am going to present today is a perfect example of old-fashioned slow cooking methods in the Mediterranean zone. Let’s be honest, why do we want to speed things up? If we love cooking, if it happens to be a day when we have all the time in the world to nourish ourselves and maybe someone we adore, well why rushing and ruining a perfect meal? Slow cooking methods give all the reward back to the person cooking and those who will enjoy the meal. Now, this stew has a few borrowed methods from the tradition known to people in our part of the globe.
Something French, something Greek, Something Keto and something Chic!
Something French…
There’s a reason French cuisine became so popular and advanced. But what’s the most significant thing about it? Starting with sautéing (what a beautiful French word) garlic and onion in butter as we start in this Keto stew. We do it carefully and slowly to preserve every molecule of the aroma. Then the fresh herbs, spices, cream, cheese, sometimes wine… The ingredients are always precisely and finely chopped and slowly cooked. Whatever you are making, make it slow and it will turn out tasty and comforting. While French cuisine could seem difficult, it includes a lot of logic that have been established over centuries of tradition.
Dishes are designed by the symphonic structure of flavours, layer by layer, to enhance the final experience. But the real answer to learning French cooking is in the purity of logic. This is what we borrowed for this Keto stew!
Each technique has a mission, and each mission has an appeal. Braising, poaching, sautéing, and so on… However, more than just the technique and logic, French cooking is a kind of art. In the end, the Greek word τέχνη (techne) means art. It’s about the enjoyment of life! French (and most of the European) cooking is a practice in relaxation and enjoyment of simple things. Such as friends, family and other small gears of life.
Something Greek…
If you explore our Ketonised recipes that come from the Greek tradition, you will notice a lot of similarities with French cooking. But hey, Greeks are bringing the best of both worlds, they are uniting East and West and they always add a lot of history to it. After all, Socrates said: Anybody can be Greek in heart, with the right passion and culture.
The geographical position of our beautiful Greece has given the cuisine the possibility to collide flavours from the south (Africa) and East (Asia) with those that are so very much European. It’s, of course, olive oil and seafood, but also the spices, herbs that are very Greek in this Keto stew recipe. We are paying attention to all the details! I especially love the Greek method of thickening everything with yolks! Those nutritious gems of pure health are going in almost all sauces, soups and casseroles. Just remember Moussaka, Pastitsio, Magiritsa or Avgolemono!
Greeks are very passionate… They are like Brazilians of Europe! This is why every dish prepared in a Greek way will be quite seductive, almost erotic. Chances are you’ll get an aphrodisiac effect on both the cook and those that will enjoy the meal! This Keto stew is a perfect example of that!
Something Keto…
Ohh yes, if this dish was not Keto, both the French and Greeks would add some starch or wheat flour to thicken it. Maybe a potato or two would be added, even some honey or sugar to balance the flavours. But we know better, carbs will not be overloaded in this creation, not in the land of Ketonia! This beautiful silky and shiny Keto stew is a low-carb creation. Of course, we’ll do the Keto Mediterranean method and put an emphasis on micronutrients, good fats, loads of good aminos because protein is something we don’t fear on KMD! But as with all our creations, we’ll make sure it tastes as good as any traditional dish we ketonised so far!
Something Chic…
Nothing is more satisfying when cooking than the silky smooth texture. When you master this, you will be making many dishes, sauces and even dips with nourishing ingredients. Colour is also important. This is why you’ll work your way around those sunny yolks and beautiful spices that bring the best experience. Follow me, let’s cook slowly, with some relaxing music and positive thoughts. The world is not in a very bright historical time at the moment, but hey, one small step towards a better feeling can be made in the kitchen. Let’s start today!
Keto stew, slow steps to perfection…
4
servings20
minutes1
hour359
kcalIngredients
3 medium hake (or other fish of your choice)
150g cleaned mussels (or shrimp if you like)
1 branch fresh rosemary (you can use bay leaves instead)
4 slices lemon
2 tbsp butter (we used sheep’s butter)
6 cloves garlic
2 medium spring onions
1 small carrot
6 yolks
2 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp sour cream (you can also use Mascarpone)
1 litre filtered water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp saffron
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp freshly ground black, green and red pepper
Fresh herbs of your choice, chopped (parsley, dill, coriander, basil, peppermint, chives…)
- Egg white noodles
6 egg whites
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp melted butter
1 pinch nutmeg
1 tsp garlic powder
- Garnish
A few cubes of semi-hard cheese of your choice (We used goat cheese)
Directions
- In a deep pot, boil hake and mussels in 1 litre of water with rosemary branch and some sea salt. This type of fish requires very little time to get cooked so approximately after 10 minutes the fresh will be soft. Remove the fish and mussels from the pot and add lemon slices. Leave the stock aside for later usage.
- Remove the fish flesh from bones and chop it. Place it on a deep plate together with mussels and cover with olive oil.
- Beat the egg whites with all the spices and butter and cook 2 crepe-alike omelettes. Place them on a cutting board and cut them into strips. You will add them to the broth in the end.
- In a wok or a deep frying pan, sauté finely chopped fresh onion and garlic in butter. Do it at a lower temperature and constantly stir.
- Using a vegetable peeler, slice the carrot into thin slices and add them to the onion and garlic. Stir with a wooden spoon and season with a little salt to soften the carrot. Add some of the stock where you cooked the fish and mussels with a ladle. Try to add only one ladle at a time. You can repeat this 4-5 times but allow the stock to reduce. Now add pieces of fish and mussels.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk yolks, sour cream (or mascarpone) and 2 ladles of fish stock to create a nice emulsion. Add salt, pepper, turmeric and saffron.
- At this point additionally, lower the temperature to a very minimum and start gently pouring the egg yolk emulsion into the pan while stirring with a wooden spoon. It’s important to get the stew thick and silky. To achieve this, you can pour the emulsion gradually and energetically stir in between every pouring.
- Finely chop the fresh herbs of your choice and add them to the stew. now add the egg white noodles you prepared earlier and stir well. Remove the pan from the heat as soon as you are satisfied with the thickness.
- Serve the stew while it’s still hot and add cheese cubes to every plate. They will melt a little and create strings as you move them with a spoon.
Notes
- Patience is the most important detail. Try working with a very low temperature and stir constantly after adding each ladle of the stock to make sure the stew thickens nicely. Never pour too much of the stock at once.
- I used goat sour cream, but if you can’t find that, you can use goat cream cheese or mascarpone
- Ideally, you will serve this for lunch, but it can also be a delicious Keto dinner for the family
