What went wrong with my stew?

tandraig

i like to use guinness too - but my familys fave is doing the stew in Newcastle Brown Ale - its absolutely gorgeous!

esmf73

Here are the recipes that I use - adapted from Slimming World as there are bits I don't like / do.

Beef Casserole

595g stewing steak
2 onions
3 carrots
340g swede
2 garlic cloves
can chopped toms
400ml chicken stock (I use chicken bovril or stock cube)
bay leaf, mixed herbs, sald & pepper ( I normally leave salt out)

Prepare the steak - large chunks, roughly chop the onions, carrots and swede, crush the garlic. Place all into a casserole dish and cover.

Bake in a 220 degree C oven for 1 hr. (I've just read that you're supposed to stir the casserole and cook for another 90 mins!) I've never done this - so I cook for 2 1/2 hrs - or all day in the slow cooker.

If anyone is interested it is free on an original day.

Chicken Stew

794g chicken - it says chicken thighs - but I use any type.
mixed herbs
salt & Pepper (as before I leave out salt)
onion
397g butternut squash
2 garlic cloves
142ml chicken stock
750ml passata
255g green beans


It says to toss the chicken in the herbs and sear (brown off) the chicken - but I never do this. I just prepare the veg (chopped) and put it all in a casserole - or slow cooker.

It says to put onion, squash and garlic in a pan with stock & passata, boil. Add chicken and cook for 30 mins. (THIS IS ON THE HOB.) Add the beans then cook for 20 mins.

I just chuck it all in a slow cooker - usually make double, or put it all in the oven. Occasionally I add peppers and perhaps olives in place of the butternut squash and then it becomes spanish chicken.

It's lovely with rice.

Best of luck

thriftlady_2

McKneff wrote: »

if you seal the meat the juices cant get into the liquid so i dont normally bother.

It is a complete myth that browning 'seals the meat'. What browning does is add flavour to the meat. Browned food tastes nice it's called the Maillard Reaction. I always brown the meat for this reason and the liquid is always very flavourful which of course wouldn't be the case if the juices had somehow been sealed into the meat.

Just chucking everything into a pot will not yield great results.

Top tips for tasty stews

1. Brown the meat first.

2. Brown the veg first too.

3. Use something tasty as the liquid -stock/tomatoes/beer/wine. Alcohol really does make for a tasty stew. If you don't have any use stock and add a little red wine vinegar. The alcohol will burn off when cooked making it OK for kids.

4. Add herbs or spices for extra flavour.

5. This is just my preference but I think stews are tastier cooked in the oven not the slow cooker. The liquid will reduce and concentrate the flavour.

6. The cuts of meat which come from the front of the animal are best suited to stews because the long cooking makes sinewy tissue melt into the stew giving lovely flavour and making the meat really tender.
These cuts are also the cheapest. It is a mistake to use something like frying steak (which is a waste of time imo) for a stew.

yummymummy85

Thank you for all of your replies and advice, I will definately take it on board the next time we have stew!

The reason I used the slow cooker is because I have a 17 month old so was trying to get everything cooking while he was having his nap and then not having to worry about it all afternoon so I had more free time to keep him entertained!

The problem with the carbonara was that it tasted sour. I think that I used too much creme fraiche, I was using a recipe from Tana Ramsay's Family Food book (I think that's what it's called!). I'm going to have a look for a different recipe as it was very quick to make which is always a good thing with a little monkey set on trashing the house!!

On the up side, both of these meals went down really well with my son however he will eat anything...I have caught him eating dog biscuits when DH has forgetten to close the gate on the kitchen!!

I'm trying the braised mince recipe tonight for dinner tomorrow night and one night next week - lets hope that isn't a disaster too!!

Thanks again for all of your replies!

CCP

While we're on the subject of stew...

A couple of time last winter I tried making beef stew with beer (a Belgian one and a British ale) and on both occasions the stew ended up inedibly bitter. I love beef n beer stew when someone else makes it, but I can't seem to get the knack myself. Any ideas?

Chris25

CCP wrote: »

While we're on the subject of stew...

A couple of time last winter I tried making beef stew with beer (a Belgian one and a British ale) and on both occasions the stew ended up inedibly bitter. I love beef n beer stew when someone else makes it, but I can't seem to get the knack myself. Any ideas?

i have had that happen before and not sure what the problem was - maybe the oven was too hot (like when a rich fruit cake turns out to have abitter taste) Anyhow, i put a bit of tomato puree and some sugar in it - turned out fine then.

shellsmithcat

I always brown my meat after having tossed it in flour and seasoning which helps thicken the sauce and I add a beef oxo and a vegetable oxo and a good spoonful of mixed herbs, very little liquid to just cover the veg which I put on the bottom with the meat on the top and mix it about 1 - 2 hours before ready (if home) - also avoid adding parsnips as they can be overpowering. Adding a tin of chopped tomatoes to it makes it taste delish too.

Mands

yummymummy85 wrote: »

The problem with the carbonara was that it tasted sour. I think that I used too much creme fraiche, I was using a recipe from Tana Ramsay's Family Food book (I think that's what it's called!). I'm going to have a look for a different recipe as it was very quick to make which is always a good thing with a little monkey set on trashing the house!!

Ahh, sour doesn't sound nice

There seem to be two schools of thought with carbonara; some folks use cream/creme fraiche and others use eggs. I'm in the eggs camp personally, it's a little more work but I think the flavour is better. To my tastebuds cream flattens the taste.

If you fancy trying the eggs approach this is the method I use.

For two;

• Put your spaghetti on to boil.
  
• While it's cooking heat a large pan, add a glug of olive oil and a couple of
  squashed cloves of garlic. Squash them with the side of a big knife, no need to chop them as they are only there to flavour the oil and they'll be coming out later.
  
• Add bacon/pancetta/lardons to the pan. Add thinly sliced mushrooms if you fancy them.
  
• While the pasta is boiling and bacon is frying prepare the liquid. In a jug mix three egg yolks (freeze the whites for another dish), a good grind of fresh pepper, a third of a glass of white wine and some finely grated parmesan.
  
• Remove the garlic from the bacon pan and discard.
  
• When the pasta is cooked drain it and retain a ladle of cooking water. Add the pasta to the bacon and give it a good stir. Turn off the heat under the bacon pan. Add your egg mixture and give it a really good stir. The eggs will cook lightly, you don't want them to scramble. Add that reserved ladle of pasta water and give it another good stir. That will make the sauce silky smooth.
  
• Serve up into bowls, top with more parmesan.

I know it sounds like lots of steps, but it should be start to table in 10 minutes. If you keep bacon in the fridge or freezer and have eggs on hand then it's a great store cupboard standby.

Have fun!
Mands

tanith

If I am doing stew I always do it on the hob.. with browned meat lots of different vegs, pearl barley and stock cubes.. thicken it at the end just before I throw in the dumplings... surely its called a casserole when cooked in the oven, and I once put in mushrooms and the dang things made the gravy disgusting with a sort of black goo floating on top... yuk never put them in again... and one more thing I always cook my stew the day before I eat it then just heat thicken and put in the dumplings when we are ready to eat it... it always tastes better when heated again from cold...

yummymummy85

Mands wrote: »

Ahh, sour doesn't sound nice

There seem to be two schools of thought with carbonara; some folks use cream/creme fraiche and others use eggs. I'm in the eggs camp personally, it's a little more work but I think the flavour is better. To my tastebuds cream flattens the taste.

If you fancy trying the eggs approach this is the method I use.


For two;

• 
  
• Put your spaghetti on to boil.
  
• While it's cooking heat a large pan, add a glug of olive oil and a couple of
  squashed cloves of garlic. Squash them with the side of a big knife, no need to chop them as they are only there to flavour the oil and they'll be coming out later.
  
• Add bacon/pancetta/lardons to the pan. Add thinly sliced mushrooms if you fancy them.
  
• While the pasta is boiling and bacon is frying prepare the liquid. In a jug mix three egg yolks (freeze the whites for another dish), a good grind of fresh pepper, a third of a glass of white wine and some finely grated parmesan.
  
• Remove the garlic from the bacon pan and discard.
  
• When the pasta is cooked drain it and retain a ladle of cooking water. Add the pasta to the bacon and give it a good stir. Turn off the heat under the bacon pan. Add your egg mixture and give it a really good stir. The eggs will cook lightly, you don't want them to scramble. Add that reserved ladle of pasta water and give it another good stir. That will make the sauce silky smooth.
  
• Serve up into bowls, top with more parmesan.

I know it sounds like lots of steps, but it should be start to table in 10 minutes. If you keep bacon in the fridge or freezer and have eggs on hand then it's a great store cupboard standby.

Have fun!
Mands

Does it make a difference to use a different cheese? I used cheddar as it's what I had in the house and I find that having different types of cheese in the house is quite expensive (especially since I'm a cheese fiend!!)