From Game of Thrones · 2011-2019 · Reconstructed
Flea Bottom Trencher Stew
Serve when
Serve rough beef-and-barley stew in bread bowls so the bread becomes part of the meal.
In the series
Season 1
- S1E5 · ~00:24:00 King's Landing's street life and tavern food suggest the poorer, rougher counterpoint to noble feasts
Host Like Westeros
Trenchers were thick bread used under wet food before modern dinner plates became ordinary. Bread bowls are the clean party version: they give you the history and let people tear at the edible bowl as the stew soaks in.
In the series
Not every Game of Thrones meal is a royal feast. Flea Bottom needs rougher food: filling, cheap, and built to stretch. A trencher stew gives the page the lower-city side of the table.
Ingredients
Method
- Brown beef in oil in batches. Remove to a plate.
- Cook onion, carrots, celery, and garlic until softened. Stir in tomato paste and cook until darkened.
- Add ale and scrape up browned bits. Return beef to the pot with stock, barley, thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Simmer gently until the beef and barley are tender, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- Hollow out the loaves, leaving thick walls. Ladle stew into the bread and serve.
Substitutions
- Beef chuck: Stew meat works. Lamb makes the bowl feel more northern; mushrooms and lentils make a good meatless version.
- Ale: Use beef stock or water. A splash of vinegar at the end can replace the beer's slight bitterness.
- Pearl barley: Farro or brown rice can stand in. Barley gives the best medieval tavern texture because it thickens the broth as it cooks.
- Bread bowls: Serve with torn crusty bread if bread bowls are hard to find. The historical point is bread as plate, not the exact shape.
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