Just the weather for stew

honeyD

tandraig wrote: »

the stock can be used for gravy! or to start another stew - dont chuck it hun! when i make a stew cawl whatever i cover meat and veg with water but not more than about an inch above ingredients; if i accidentally end up with too much stock - i save it, it can be frozen.

Oh dont you worry I plan on keeping it for my next batch!
Hubby will probably wonder what the hell I m doing and want to throw it out but I wont let him! lol.
I just said garlic bread was bad because its bread I guess! Though if its not too bad to have it then I wont feel so guilty lol! :j
I have cauliflower and brussels for my next one.. need more carrots though since I ran out. Im already planning my next lol.

helyg

tandraig wrote: »

ahhhhhhhhh they speak a different language in N wales I am sure!!! never heard it called Lobscaws! will have to ask SIL or GS as they welsh medium schooled. If ive got marmite it often goes in stew - usually the beef one. your ancestors are probably applauding you - as I bet they used anything which they thought would add to flavour.
BTW - no-one seems to make chicken or rabbit stew - have you Helyg? my OH loves rabbit stew, I replace some of the stock with cider (the cheapest roughest i can get). with chicken i like to use a little white wine instead.
this can be really cheap if you know someone who likes to go rabbitting (lamping -my son calls it) but they gotta be prepared to skin it as i cant!!! can do most things but skinning rabbits i draw the line at!

I have made rabbit stew yes, my OH has friends who go lamping so we get the odd one. I quite like rabbit but an awful lot of people are squeamish about it!

Floss

I love rabbit - we used to have it loads in pies and stews as kids as it was a cheap way to feed 6, but when my brother got a pet rabbit we started having lots of "chicken" pies and stews!

shiningdove

I don't post often on here really - the forum in general.
I'm 19 - so hopefully i won't sound to stupid and my parents unfortunetly have never taught me how to cook.

Does anyone have a good recepie for stew?

Little_Vics

I'm sure there are loads! Here's mine - some stewing beef, 1 onion, 2 carrots, 1 glass red wine, 1 pint beef stock (made from cube) - cut the veg, shove the whole lot into an oven proof dish and cook at gas mark 4 ish for about 2 hours. I keep an eye on the liquid and top it up with water if it gets too low. Simple, but lovely with some crusty bread.

Minihauk

Or you can put it all in a big saucepan, cover and bring to the boil, turn down to a simmer and cook gently for a couple of hours (again keep an eye on the liquid as you don't want it to dry out too much). You can add potatoes too for a one pot meal, but if you do add them, don't do it until about a half hour before serving as they will just disintegrate and mash down.
Stew is a very forgiving dish - meat, whatever vegetables (preferably root veg), stock and whatever you want to throw in really. I usually add a tin of tomatoes too for flavour.

missamoo

Hi,
I love stew and it is so easy to make. You don't have to worry about quantities in particular and can just shove in whatever you like!

You can use an oven proof dish, cook it in a big pan on the stove or use a slow cooker. Put the beef in with about a pint of beef stock (boiling water and a stock cube). Then add vegetables, my fave combo is carrots, parsnips and swede tho butternut squash is nice and my hubby likes potatoes in it. I always throw in a handful of pearl barley as well. Add a few mixed herbs or just salt and pepper.

Cook slowly for at least 2 hours but longer if you can, you can even leave it to cook all day if you have a slow cooker. If you are cooking it in the oven or on the hob try to cover the stew.

We also like to add dumplings - 4 oz plain flour to 2 oz suet and water to mix makes about 10 dumplings. mix it up, divide into balls and add to the stew 30 min before you want to eat. try to make sure they can move in the mixture and they will get nice and fluffy. Alternatively if you are cooking it in the oven leave the lid off when you put it back in the oven and they go all crispy, depends how you prefer them!

The above is a combination of my stew and my mil's stew - quite different recipes but you can do what you like really!

bubbles0169

hi
if you can afford get braising steak as it just melts in the mouth, if not just dice what you have
make about a litre of beef stock from a cube and boiling water
peel and chop enough potatoes(one whole one each)
peel and chop carrots(two each)
chop an onion and fry in a tablespoon(tbls) olive oil
until clear in colour, carefully as oil burns easily, i put it on a lowish heat and pop the lid on
then add your diced beef, turn up the heat a bit so it browns all over quicker

season with salt and pepper
add the stock with a pinch of dried herbs
bring to the boil
add the veg bring back to the boil then turn down the heat, half cover with a lid then simmer for two hours
top up with water if it needs it

Seakay

The Four Season's cookery book by Mararet Costa is back in print
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Four-Seasons-Cookery-Margaret-Costa/dp/1906502056
I suggest borrowing it from the local library and checking out the chapter "Comforting Casseroles" where you'll find loads of ideas.
Assuming it's beef stew that you want, here's her
Beef a la Provencale

1.5lb stewing beef, 1.5 tablespoons seasoned flour, 3 tablespoons oil, 4 small carrots, 3 small onions, 2 cloves garlic, 4oz mushrooms, 0.75pint stock, water, or half of either with half red wine, few black olives (optional), salt and pepper

Cut the meat into cubes and coat with seasoned flour. Brown them all over in the hot oil and transfer them to a casserole. Cook the sliced carrots, chopped onions and crushed garlic in the same oil until the onions are soft and beginning to brown. Add the thickly sliced mushrooms, wine, stock or water and bring to boiling point. Pour over the meat, cover tightly and cook in a slow oven, gas Mark 2, 150C, 300F, for about 2.5 hours. Just before serving add the olives and adjust the seasoning.

This is really yummy. I've made it loads of times and it freezes and reheats well. I know chefs are always saying use the good wine, but I'm not going to buy expensive especially for stew! So what I do, if I have a bottle to drink any time, rather than draining the bottle of the last couple of inches I put any leftovers in a bottle in the fridge - mixed. Then any slow cooked recipe requiring wine I use that. You get the richness and flavour and also I think some tenderising. Other people freeze leftover wine and use that.

Loadsabob

I made a lovely one at the weekend...I never follow a recipe, so you have plenty of room for personal preference.

I always use onion, carrot, swede and potato, with either lamb or beef, and veg stock.

For this one I used chuck steak, trimmed of most of its fat (though not all - good to have some for flavour and mouth-feel), and diced. I followed Hugh F-W's advice about browning the meat fast (a couple of minutes, high heat), til very brown indeed. That the goes in to the slightly softened onions, with the veg for the longer cooking, and don't forget to de-glaze the pan with a bit of water or a bit of your veg stock (this means adding the liquid while the pan is hot and letting all the residue of the meat bubble in to the liquid). This and the browning really add to the flavour of your stew.

I gauge everything by eye, using about even quantities of the veg, with the swede and carrot cut thinner than the potato due to the differing cooking times. I simmered mine in a big pan on the hob for about an hour and a half, stirring occasionally.

Yum! Enjoy yours!