Today we are not traveling to the kingdom of Hyrule. Instead, in honor of Mario Day, we are going to take a trip to the Mushroom Kingdom. Actually, we are really taking a trip to the Luncheon Kingdom. The residents of the Luncheon Kingdom, the Volbonans, are known for their culinary expertise. Their most famous dish is the Stupendous Stew. The creamy stew of meat and vegetables is so popular, they cook it in large pots scattered throughout the plaza… and even on top of Mount Volbono!
In order to bring this stew to life, I took inspiration from Japanese cream stews. These stews are typically comprised of chicken and vegetables cooked in a broth which is thickened with a béchamel sauce. In the Luncheon Kingdom, though, a large salted beef roast is added to the soup. We’re going to ignore the giant poultry boss that ended up in the stew at the end of Mario’s adventure through this kingdom as it’s not really part of the actual Volbonan recipe. To mimic the beef in the stew, we will some dry brined chuck steak (or chuck roast). We will use vegetables that match the color and appearance of those in the soup (on a smaller scale), and we will use a béchamel sauce along with some additional cream to get that milkier color and stew-like texture.
The resulting stew is creamy, beefy, and quite hearty. The vegetables brighten up the whole flavor profile and add some nice balance to the cream and beef. Overall, it’s a rather delicious and rather different style of stew. It’s definitely good enough to get me considering a trip to the Luncheon Kingdom to see what other delicacies they may be able to cook up!
Ingredients
1½ lbs Chuck steak (or roast)
5 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
Small bunch of tyme sprigs
2 cups milk
1 cup half and half
¼ cup butter
¼ cup flour
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp white pepper
1 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
2 carrots, chopped
2 potatoes, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup chopped baby corn
1 tsp Kosher salt
2 tsp salt, separated
Olive oil
Black pepper
Before we do anything else, we are going to do a quick dry brine on the beef. Season the chuck steak with one teaspoon of kosher salt (½ teaspoon per side), and then let the chuck steak rest on a plate in the refrigerator for one to two hours.
After it is finished brining, season the beef with black pepper and then slice the beef into one inch chunks. Set a pressure cooker over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and ensure the bottom of the pot is coated. Add the beef cubes in batches to the pressure cooker to brown them (2 to 3 batches should work). Brown the beef for about 4-5 minutes per batch, until the beef cubes are browned on each side.
Once all of the cubes are browned, add them all back into the pressure cooker. Add the onion, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pressure cooker with a spatula and stir the contents of the pot well. Place the lid on the pressure cooker and lock it securely. Pressure cook the beef cubes for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the pot from the heat and release the pressure. Once the pressure has fully released, remove the lid and strain the broth through a mesh strainer. Reserve the beef cubes in a bowl and discard the onion, garlic, thyme, and bay leaves. Strain the broth again if needed to remove any additional excess fat.
Return the broth and the beef cubes to the pot. Place it back over medium heat. Add the carrots, potatoes, zucchini, red bell pepper, and baby corn to the soup pot along with one teaspoon of salt. Bring the contents to a boil and then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Allow the stew to simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the vegetables fully soften.
While the vegetables soften, we will make the béchamel sauce. Set another smaller pot over low heat. Melt the ¼ cup of butter in the pot. Once the butter is melted, add the ¼ cup of flour. Whisk the flour into the butter to create a smooth roux. Allow the flour to cook for about 2 minutes, but do not allow it to brown. In order to create a white sauce, we need to keep the roux blonde.
After the 2 minutes, start slowly whisking in the milk. Pour the milk in slowly, about 2-3 tablespoons at a time and completely whisk it into the roux before adding more. Continue this process until all 2 cups of the milk have been whisked in. You will notice the sauce getting oversaturated and becoming more gravy like after about the 1 cup mark. Once all of the milk has been added, add 1 teaspoon of salt, the white pepper, and the nutmeg. Whisk the spices into the sauce to fully blend. Turn the heat up to low-medium and allow the béchamel sauce to thicken a little more, about 3-5 minutes. When the béchamel sauce is done, remove it from the heat.
Once the vegetables in the soup have softened, remove it from the heat. We will temper the béchamel before adding it to the soup. Scoop out one ladleful of the hot soup broth and add it to the béchamel sauce. Stir the broth into the béchamel sauce to fully incorporate it. Repeat with a second ladleful of hot broth. Once the béchamel has been tempered, slowly pour it into the soup pot and stir it into the broth. Continue stirring until the béchamel sauce is fully incorporated into the stew. Add one cup of half and half and stir it into the stew.
Return the pot to the heat and allow it to return to a simmer. Allow the soup to simmer for about 5 minutes. The stew is ready. Serve the soup in bowls and enjoy!
Learn more about the Stupendous Stew dish from Super Mario Odyssey at the Super Mario Wiki.