Flavour

Verianna

I LOVE making homemade stews, casseroles etc but only when they have strong flavours. I can never seem to get a nice strong flavour to them and just end up throwing loads of onion gravy granules in to give it more flavour

What herbs, spices, sauces would be best for basic stews? I tend to throw in beef (either minced or cubed stewing steak) lurking veg (ie carrots, leeks, mushrooms, swede) sometimes a tin of chopped tomatoes, oxo cube and eventually the onion gravy comes out. I've tried paprika, lea and perrins, mixed herbs but was unsure of how much to use so only put a small sprinkle, season-all and nothing has given me a flavour that has made me exceptionally proud!

I'm getting to the point where I am considering cheating and throwing in a tin of oxtail soup or something

Rikki

Parsnip always helps to flavour a stew.

I make my basic stew with braising steak, onions,carrots swede and parsnip. For stock I use beef and vegetable oxo cubes and thicken at the end with flour. Sometimes I add dumplings but depends on my mood.
I cook it all day in a slow cooker or 4 plus hours in a low oven. The slower and longer the cook the more intense the flavours become.

Verianna

Mine goes in the SC already

kethry

i would also add that to intensify flavours you do need to sweat your veg first. Onions when browned (caramelised, i mean, as opposed to just sweated) go sweet, when they're black, they can go terribly bitter (same with garlic). same thing with the meat: if you want to give your stew/casserole a good flavour you do need to brown the meat.

regarding the onion gravy granules... i wonder if its the salt that is adding the flavour you crave? those things do tend to be quite salty. the only other thing i can think of that might add the flavour you require is boullion: if you look in the gravy/stock section of your supermarket you can find it there, Marigold's boullion. There are various kinds: unsalted, reduced fat.. i use the regular one, and i tip a tsp or so of it into just about every casserole/stew going.

anything beefy (but not tomato based) may benefit from oyster sauce or mushroom ketchup - in fact, i got turned onto mushroom ketchup by my gran who adds it to coleman's sausage casserole packet mix! lovely stuff!

finally, with regard to anything tomatoey based (e.g. spag bol, etc.), you might want to think about adding a tsp or so of sugar - because tomatoes are naturally sweet, adding the sugar brings out the natural sweetness in the same way that salt works. Balsamic vinegar is another one that works in a similar way and gives a lovely flavour!

HTH

keth
xx

thriftlady_2

Alcohol wine, cider or beer do wonders for slow-cooked meat dishes.

Spices -for a middle eastern flavour use a blend like ras-al-hanout or harissa. smoked paprika is a favourite in our house.

I often put a carton of passata (sieved tomatoes) in a stew.

Flavouring veg -onion, garlic, celery, leeks, carrots. I have these chopped to a mush by the food processor and stored in the freezer.

Bacon is also an excellent flavour enhancer.

I'm inclined to think that gravy granules make food taste artificial and samey.

Verianna

kethry wrote: »

i would also add that to intensify flavours you do need to sweat your veg first. Onions when browned (caramelised, i mean, as opposed to just sweated) go sweet, when they're black, they can go terribly bitter (same with garlic). same thing with the meat: if you want to give your stew/casserole a good flavour you do need to brown the meat.

I've never browned or cooked anything off before putting it in so will give this a try :j

Butterfly_Brain

All purpose seasoning, a bouquet garni or a slug of wine (latter is good for the cook too)
:beer:

Beccah_3

I seem to throw some chopped fresh rosemary and thyme into most stews, casseroles and ragus, along with a teaspoon of tomato puree,lea and perrins, minced garlic, black pepper, aromat and half a teaspoon of sugar. Also I always,always ,always sweat down a couple of sticks of celery with the other veg,it adds a base note that you really miss.

suzywoozy_3

I sometimes add a tsp of marmite to a stew.

RAS

Agree here - loads of flavour comes from browning the meat and vegs first. that way you do not need the granules. If you are using a SC, then this is even more important.

Personally I like to add a fair bit of garlic and something alcoholic - even the end of an open bottle of wine or left over beer or cider.

With a thin tasting stew I sometimes chuck in a bit of chutney or HM sauce to give it body.

if you are getting a lot of gravy, maybe you are also adding more water than necessary? Some vegetables exude quite lot of juice as they cook down.

evie451

Verianna browning makes a big difference. It really helps with flavours distributing them evenly and intensifying everything Another trick is to throw in the herbs/spices etc with the sweating/browning onion, according to my mum its done in the best indian restaurants to intensify flavour but it seems to work with most things for me