On Mon, 24 Oct 2005 17:26:04 GMT, "Dimitri" >
wrote:

>
>"LurfysMa" > wrote in message
.. .
>>I scanned a number of recipes for beef stew. There are hundreds!
>>
>> The proportions vary considerably. Is it possible to make some general
>> guidelines for the major ingredients (meat and vegetables) to guide
>> cooking without a specific recipe? That way I could use whatever I
>> have available, but still be able to stay within those general
>> guidelines.
>>
>> Here's what I came up with from averaging 8-10 beef stew recipes.
>> These are based on 1 pound of beef.
>>
>> 1 lb beef (chuck, flank, lamb, ???)
>> 1 cup oil
>> 1 onion, chopped
>> 1 cup tomatoes or tomato paste
>> 3-4 cups vegetables, chopped
>> 1-2 cups water as needed
>>
>> Are these rough proportions about right?
>>
>> In addition, it will need salt, pepper, and other spices.
>
>Nope - way too much oil.

So, just start will enough oil to cover the pan for browning? I like
olive oil, is that good?

>No flour for dredging.

Yep, I got that from a couple of sources, even though a lot fo recipes
call for it. Personally, I don't like flour in stews.

>Use Stock or stock and wine not water.

But, isn't stock just water from a previous process?

>Don't sweat the proportions too much 1/2 a carrot or an extra onion depending on
>the size ain't gonna make that much difference.

OK. I was just trying to get gross proportions. What I'm getting is
that the more veggies, the more it's like soup or vegetarian stew. The
more beef, the more it's like a "hearty" or "beefy" stew. Probably at
least 1-1 (veggies-beef) and as much as 4-1.

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