It's starting to get a little chilly, although at this time of year in W. TN
the temps bounce up and down. It's still in the low 70's most days. But it
won't be long before I'm craving a nice beef stew.

My (Scottish) grandmother, whose recipe I don't have, used chuck roast (as
do I) but she never added any vegetable other than potatoes. I've no idea
what seasonings (for all I know it was just salt & pepper). It had a very
rich, thick, almost gravy-like consistency. My (German) grandmother's stew
was really more like a vegetable beef soup, not at all thick, very brothy.
She used something akin to round steak but thicker (cubed) and added the
usual suspects: potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, etc.

I'm wondering what your favourite recipe for this wintry concoction might
be!

Jill

jmcquown wrote:

> I'm wondering what your favourite recipe for this wintry concoction might
> be!
>
> Jill

Something like baked ziti with lots of rich sausage and cheeses!
Fattening to the extreme
Goomba

Goomba38 wrote:
> jmcquown wrote:
>
>> I'm wondering what your favourite recipe for this wintry concoction
>> might be!
>>
>> Jill
>
> Something like baked ziti with lots of rich sausage and cheeses!
> Fattening to the extreme
> Goomba

LOL Not exactly beef stew but I could go for some of that! I have a recipe
for baked ziti with three cheeses somewhere around here. Never thought
about adding sausage but now that you mention it a nicely spiced Italian
sausage would be a marvelous addition

Jill <---who is not (yet) worried about "fattening"

jmcquown wrote:
> It's starting to get a little chilly, although at this time of year
> in W. TN the temps bounce up and down. It's still in the low 70's
> most days. But it won't be long before I'm craving a nice beef stew.
>
> My (Scottish) grandmother, whose recipe I don't have, used chuck
> roast (as do I) but she never added any vegetable other than
> potatoes. I've no idea what seasonings (for all I know it was just
> salt & pepper). It had a very rich, thick, almost gravy-like
> consistency. My (German) grandmother's stew was really more like a
> vegetable beef soup, not at all thick, very brothy. She used
> something akin to round steak but thicker (cubed) and added the usual
> suspects: potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, etc.
>
> I'm wondering what your favourite recipe for this wintry concoction
> might be!
>
> Jill

Beef Bourguignon from Mastering the Art of French Cooking

jmcquown wrote:
> It's starting to get a little chilly, although at this time of year in W. TN
> the temps bounce up and down. It's still in the low 70's most days. But it
> won't be long before I'm craving a nice beef stew.
>
> My (Scottish) grandmother, whose recipe I don't have, used chuck roast (as
> do I) but she never added any vegetable other than potatoes. I've no idea
> what seasonings (for all I know it was just salt & pepper). It had a very
> rich, thick, almost gravy-like consistency. My (German) grandmother's stew
> was really more like a vegetable beef soup, not at all thick, very brothy.
> She used something akin to round steak but thicker (cubed) and added the
> usual suspects: potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, etc.
>
> I'm wondering what your favourite recipe for this wintry concoction might
> be!

Beef Barley 'Shroom Soup/Stew

I tend towards top round

Sheldon

jmcquown wrote:

> LOL Not exactly beef stew but I could go for some of that! I have a recipe
> for baked ziti with three cheeses somewhere around here. Never thought
> about adding sausage but now that you mention it a nicely spiced Italian
> sausage would be a marvelous addition
>
> Jill <---who is not (yet) worried about "fattening"

Ohhhhhhhh, I thought you were asking about ANY cold weather meal.. I
totally missed the "stew" reference in your question.
Oh well.. I prefer ziti to stew anyway

I do make this family favorite passed down many generations, that we
just call "pepperoni and cabbage" which is not unlike a New England
style corned beef dinner except it uses pepperoni instead and lots of
veggies.

I use a recipe from an Irish cookbook that uses beef, onions, some carrot,
flour, beef stock, Guinness and pirunes. Very nice.

But I usually wing my stews. They often include beef, canned tomatoes,
onions, sometiems a hint of Marmite plus some molasses. There may or may not
be cloeves, bay leaves, or juniper berries.

I also love hachee, which is a Dutch classic that involves equal weights of
beef and onions (get them really brown to make sure you don't wind up with a
grey sauce) and ginger snaps (ontbijtkoek or taaitaai, really, but the
spices are much the same). It's served with potatoes and red cabbage.

jmcquown wrote:

> It's starting to get a little chilly, although at this time of year in W. TN
> the temps bounce up and down. It's still in the low 70's most days. But it
> won't be long before I'm craving a nice beef stew.
>
> My (Scottish) grandmother, whose recipe I don't have, used chuck roast (as
> do I) but she never added any vegetable other than potatoes. I've no idea
> what seasonings (for all I know it was just salt & pepper). It had a very
> rich, thick, almost gravy-like consistency. My (German) grandmother's stew
> was really more like a vegetable beef soup, not at all thick, very brothy.
> She used something akin to round steak but thicker (cubed) and added the
> usual suspects: potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, etc.
>
> I'm wondering what your favourite recipe for this wintry concoction might
> be!
>
> Jill
>
>

One trick i stumbled on to accidentally was to brown the beef chunks in
grape seed oil, imo it adds a marvellous and distinctive flavour and
richness to the stew.

After cutting the meat to the proper size, season with salt and pepper
and toss in four and let rest for 10 minutes before browning in the
grape seed oil, after the meat is browned remove carefully with a
slotted spoon so as to leave a bit of oil and any thing that sticks to
the bottom of the pan or simply add water and other ingredients and
bring to the boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Stirring to incorporate
any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. I leave out the
potatoes & carrots till the last 10 minutes or so of cooking.

I also like to caramelize a chopped onion & chopped carrots to go into
the stew. This can be done before or after the meat but add to the stew
in the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Caraway seeds are a nice addition.

Thyme, celery leaves,

Some times people like to brown and then simmer the meat in just enough
water to cover for about 1 & 1/2 - 2 hours before assembling the rest of
the stew in the, by then, beef stock & meat. Obviously if you have
stock to use that is preferable to water.

some people like to add the peeled small white onions whole and let them
stew as well as a cup or so of crushed tomatoes.

Finish with a 1/2 cup or so of a good burgundy wine.

If i were going to serve the above in a pie i would add mushrooms and a
roux to thicken the stew before putting in in a deep baking dish and
covering with a pie crust to bake in the oven.
--
JL

jmcquown wrote:
>
> It's starting to get a little chilly, although at this time of year in W. TN
> the temps bounce up and down. It's still in the low 70's most days. But it
> won't be long before I'm craving a nice beef stew.
>
> My (Scottish) grandmother, whose recipe I don't have, used chuck roast (as
> do I) but she never added any vegetable other than potatoes. I've no idea
> what seasonings (for all I know it was just salt & pepper). It had a very
> rich, thick, almost gravy-like consistency. My (German) grandmother's stew
> was really more like a vegetable beef soup, not at all thick, very brothy.
> She used something akin to round steak but thicker (cubed) and added the
> usual suspects: potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, etc.
>
> I'm wondering what your favourite recipe for this wintry concoction might
> be!


Like most dishes, I cook stew more by style and ingredients on
hand than by recipe. It can be eaten the same day, but for best
results it is best to let it cool and refrigerate over night and
then have it the next night. This is the technique I leaned from
my wife who learned it from her mother. I cook my stew in a large
heavy bottomed pot.


Ingredients

Stewing beef cut into 1" chunks
onion
celery
carrots
mushrooms
garlic
salt
pepper
potatoes
peas
savory
Worcestershire Sauce
beef broth
red wine
Veloutine (or other thickener)
tomato paste
(olive) oil
optional... peas, corn, beans

Season the meat with s few good dashed of Worcestershire Sauce, a
sprinkle of savory and some pepper, preferably freshly ground.

Heat up the pot and add some oil.

Brown the stewing beef being careful not to put too much in at a
time and cooling the pot down much. While that is browning dice a
good sized onion, a carrot and a few mushrooms. When the meat is
browned, remove it and set it aside, add a little more oil to the
pot and toss in the diced onion, carrot, celery and mushrooms and
sweat them. When they start to soften add a chopped clove or two
of garlic.

Add a good glug of red wine to the pot to deglaze, then add a few
cups of beef broth, enough to cover the meat (which is not yet
back in the pot). Add about i Tablespoon of tomato paste. Bring
it to a boil and add one or two tablespoons of Veloutine and
continue to boil and stir until it starts to thicken a bit....
not too much. Reduce the heat to simmer the liquid and return the
meat and all juices to the pot.

The stew needs to simmer for a while. You can do that on top of
the stove if you can keep the heat low enough to simmer without
boiling

DO NOT BOIL once the meat has gone back in. I prefer to do it
covered in a 300 degree oven, for about 2 hours.


If you are planning on eating it that night you can add chopped
potatoes and carrots. If planning to eat it the next night, you
can add the veggies when rehearing the next day. Frozen peas or
corn can be added about 15 minutes before serving.

Season to taste before serving. There is salt in the broth and
what tastes good in the early stages may be too salty after it
has reduced.

Total cooking time is 3-5 hours. Actual work involved is less
than 15 minutes.


Words of Caution

DO NOT BOIL
A stew boiled is a stew spoiled. It won't hurt the veggies but it
makes the meat.

Amounts of ingredients can vary according to what you have on
hand. Potatoes are benign as far as taste goes but too many
make it a potato stew rather than a beef stew. Carrots are
another matter. You can easily over do the carrots. Nothing will
spoil the taste of a stew faster than adding too much tomato
paste.


Serve with fresh biscuits, rolls, toast, baguette, ....

My all time favorite lamb stew recipe! Delicious served with buttered
egg noodles


* Exported from MasterCook *

Spring Lamb Ragout

Recipe By :Lillian M
Serving Size : 5 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Lamb Soups & Stews

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large onions -- chopped
3 cloves garlic -- chopped
3/4 teaspoon sugar
2 1/2 pounds lamb stew meat -- 1 inch cubes
salt and pepper
1/4 cup flour
2 tomatoes -- peeled, seeded, chop
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup beef stock
3/8 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary -- or 2 tsp. dried
1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme -- crumbled
1 bay leaves
2 2/3 tablespoons butter
6 ounces mushrooms -- sliced
4 ounces frozen artichoke hearts -- thawed and quartered
1 1/2 small zucchini -- 1/2-inch cubes
3/8 cup kalamata or black olives
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Position oven rack in lower 1/3 of oven and heat to 350 degrees.
Heat 2 T. oil in large dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and
garlic. Cook til soft and translucent.
Sprinkle with sugar and cook till lightly browned- about 5 minutes.
Transfer to bowl and set aside.
Add 4 T. oil to same pan and heat over medium heat. Season lamb with
salt and pepper, dredge in flour.
Add lamb to pot (in batches if necessary) and cook till brown. About 6
min. Add any extra flour to the pan and stir one minute.
Add onion-garlic mixture, tomatoes, both stocks, wine, rosemary, tomato
paste, thyme and bay leaves. Stir to combine.
Bake in oven till lamb tender, about 65 min.
Melt butter in heavy skillet. Add mushrooms and saute till golden. About
8 min.
Add artichockes and zucchini and saute till tender, about 5 minutes.
Stir into Stew.
*Can be prepared 1 day in advance and reheated over medium heat)
Mix in olives and garnish with parsley.

jmcquown said...

> It's starting to get a little chilly, although at this time of year in
> W. TN the temps bounce up and down. It's still in the low 70's most
> days. But it won't be long before I'm craving a nice beef stew.
>
> My (Scottish) grandmother, whose recipe I don't have, used chuck roast
> (as do I) but she never added any vegetable other than potatoes. I've
> no idea what seasonings (for all I know it was just salt & pepper).
> It had a very rich, thick, almost gravy-like consistency. My (German)
> grandmother's stew was really more like a vegetable beef soup, not at
> all thick, very brothy. She used something akin to round steak but
> thicker (cubed) and added the usual suspects: potatoes, carrots,
> celery, onion, etc.
>
> I'm wondering what your favourite recipe for this wintry concoction
> might be!
>
> Jill


Scottish AND German. You certainly come from good "stock".

Andy

On Tue, 31 Oct 2006 11:53:07 -0600, "jmcquown"
> wrote:

>It's starting to get a little chilly, although at this time of year in W. TN
>the temps bounce up and down. It's still in the low 70's most days. But it
>won't be long before I'm craving a nice beef stew.
>
>My (Scottish) grandmother, whose recipe I don't have, used chuck roast (as
>do I) but she never added any vegetable other than potatoes. I've no idea
>what seasonings (for all I know it was just salt & pepper). It had a very
>rich, thick, almost gravy-like consistency. My (German) grandmother's stew
>was really more like a vegetable beef soup, not at all thick, very brothy.
>She used something akin to round steak but thicker (cubed) and added the
>usual suspects: potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, etc.
>
>I'm wondering what your favourite recipe for this wintry concoction might
>be!

I haven't ever written a recipe down for stew. Maybe I should, next
time I make it. To help in thickening, coat your beef cubes with
flour, then brown. Deglaze the skillet with some beef broth and put
the browned meat and broth into the pot you're making the stew in.

Cook the meat in the broth for maybe a half hour before adding
veggies. The meat takes a little longer to get tender than the
veggies do.

For seasonings, thyme is absolutely essential. Red wine is good, too.
And some Worcestershire sauce. Salt and pepper if desired.

I know you don't like c*****s, so I won't recommend them. But add
cubed potatoes and some fresh or frozen peas to the mix, and cook
until the meat and potatoes are tender.

The potatoes should give off some starch to help thicken the sauce
into a gravy. If the floured meat and the potatoes aren't sufficient
to make it thick, add some flour mixed with water until it's the right
consistency.

And there you have it!

On Tue, 31 Oct 2006 20:01:02 +0100, "Jke" >
wrote:

>But I usually wing my stews. They often include beef, canned tomatoes,

Nice touch! I've never thought of doing that, but I'll bet it adds a
lot of depth to the flavor!

>I also love hachee, which is a Dutch classic that involves equal weights of
>beef and onions (get them really brown to make sure you don't wind up with a
>grey sauce) and ginger snaps (ontbijtkoek or taaitaai, really, but the
>spices are much the same). It's served with potatoes and red cabbage.

Okay, I've *got* to try this! Thanks so much for posting it, Jke. )

On Tue, 31 Oct 2006 13:57:05 -0600, Andy <q> wrote:

>Scottish AND German. You certainly come from good "stock".

THWACK!

(Good 'un)

Andy wrote:
> jmcquown said...
>
>> It's starting to get a little chilly, although at this time of year
>> in W. TN the temps bounce up and down. It's still in the low 70's
>> most days. But it won't be long before I'm craving a nice beef stew.
>>
>> My (Scottish) grandmother, whose recipe I don't have, used chuck
>> roast (as do I) but she never added any vegetable other than
>> potatoes. My (German) grandmother's stew was really more like a
>> vegetable beef soup, not at all thick, very brothy.
>> Jill
>
>
> Scottish AND German. You certainly come from good "stock".
>
> Andy

LOL Mostly Scottish, all the way back to 1679 (that's as far back as we can
trace the McQuown side but according to the history they kept it pretty much
Scottish). Mom's parents were straight off the boat from Scotland around
1921 or so. Dad's father married the German gal which threw everything off
kilter as far as the family tree goes Just kidding!

Really, she made wonderful potato soup with rivels (she called them
rivlettes) and I managed to re-create what Dad remembered from his childhood
many years after she died. She was raised in Pennsylvania (essentially a
Penna-Dutch area). I've no idea how she met my grandfather. That part of
the history is much more sketchy than in the previous century, isn't that
odd?

There are two types of potato pancakes in our family. The grated potato
ones which are essentially German (like latkes, and yes, I believe her
parents the Reithmillers - were Jewish) and the potato-pancake type, made
from cold leftover mashed potatoes. German and Scottish. I like them both


Jill

jmcquown wrote:
> It's starting to get a little chilly, although at this time of year in W. TN
> the temps bounce up and down. It's still in the low 70's most days. But it
> won't be long before I'm craving a nice beef stew.
>
> My (Scottish) grandmother, whose recipe I don't have, used chuck roast (as
> do I) but she never added any vegetable other than potatoes. I've no idea
> what seasonings (for all I know it was just salt & pepper). It had a very
> rich, thick, almost gravy-like consistency. My (German) grandmother's stew
> was really more like a vegetable beef soup, not at all thick, very brothy.
> She used something akin to round steak but thicker (cubed) and added the
> usual suspects: potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, etc.
>
> I'm wondering what your favourite recipe for this wintry concoction might
> be!
>
> Jill



Beef, onions (lots), garlic, celery, carrots, and (essential) a cup or
more of red wine. Optional: parsnips, cubed potato, canned stewed
tomatoes.

Other cold weather meals:
chili,
spaghetti sauce with sausage, meatballs, and peppers.
leftover spag sauce used in lasagna or grinders/heroes/subs.
stewed chicken with rice, or chicken curry
King Ranch casserole
chicken pie with biscuit crust
corned beef, cabbage and veg.
pork chops, simmered with lots of onions, flavored with
rosemary and served over rice
pork roast marinated in red wine, garlic and onions
yellow split pea soup with corn muffins

Our traditional Election Night dinner is beef stew.

gloria p

"jmcquown" > wrote

> My (Scottish) grandmother, whose recipe I don't have, used chuck roast (as
> do I) but she never added any vegetable other than potatoes. I've no idea
> what seasonings (for all I know it was just salt & pepper). It had a very
> rich, thick, almost gravy-like consistency.

I know this isn't what you asked for, this is a thick stew that
my mil made. Perhaps you grandmother's recipe was thick
because she dredged her beef in flour, too. Or not. This was
my mil's, in her words:

1 pound beef (cut in bite size)
1 onion (sliced) - string beans (cut) (me: she means the
flat Italian green beans)
carrots (sliced)
4 med size potatoes (cut up)
3/4 c water - salt (according to taste)

Sautee onions in heated oil. Remove from pot.
Coat meat in brown paper bag with flour.


Brown meat - Cover with water - Cover pot.
Simmer till meat is almost tender - About 1 hour.
Add onions, carrots and taters. If more water is
needed, add 1/2 cup water. Cover, simmer for
about 1/2 hour. Add the string beans (cooked
separately) after stew is finished.


Buon Appetit!


(me: a simple stew but surprisingly good.)

Damsel in dis Dress wrote:

>
> The potatoes should give off some starch to help thicken the sauce
> into a gravy. If the floured meat and the potatoes aren't sufficient
> to make it thick, add some flour mixed with water until it's the right
> consistency.
>


Serving stew over mashed potatoes is also yummy, especially if your
gravy is really savory.

gloria p

"Puester" > wrote

> Damsel in dis Dress wrote:
>>
>> The potatoes should give off some starch to help thicken the sauce
>> into a gravy. If the floured meat and the potatoes aren't sufficient
>> to make it thick, add some flour mixed with water until it's the right
>> consistency.

> Serving stew over mashed potatoes is also yummy, especially if your gravy
> is really savory.

Heh, I should have read the thread, the flour thing is already
out there.

nancy

"Dave Smith" > wrote in message

> Like most dishes, I cook stew more by style and ingredients on
> hand than by recipe. It can be eaten the same day, but for best
> results it is best to let it cool and refrigerate over night and
> then have it the next night. This is the technique I leaned from
> my wife who learned it from her mother. I cook my stew in a large
> heavy bottomed pot.

I make my stews with quite a lot of liquid which I use as a soup on
day one. On reheating for day two the remaining liquid becomes the
stewing gravy. This is done precisely because the best stews are
left overnight to absorb the flavours from the various ingredients,
but I get so hungry in the interim!


--
Moira de Swardt posting from Johannesburg, South Africa
Remove the dot in my address to find me at home.

Damsel in dis Dress said...

> On Tue, 31 Oct 2006 13:57:05 -0600, Andy <q> wrote:
>
>>Scottish AND German. You certainly come from good "stock".
>
> THWACK!
>
> (Good 'un)


Not again???



Andy

Hint: You can use instant potatoes as a thickener in stews or soups
instead of plain flour. I like the heartiness it gives the stew, and
of course trhe potato-y flavor

~Eri in TX

Damsel in dis Dress wrote:
> On Tue, 31 Oct 2006 20:01:02 +0100, "Jke" >
> wrote:
>
> >But I usually wing my stews. They often include beef, canned tomatoes,
>
> Nice touch! I've never thought of doing that, but I'll bet it adds a
> lot of depth to the flavor!
>
> >I also love hachee, which is a Dutch classic that involves equal weights of
> >beef and onions (get them really brown to make sure you don't wind up with a
> >grey sauce) and ginger snaps (ontbijtkoek or taaitaai, really, but the
> >spices are much the same). It's served with potatoes and red cabbage.
>
> Okay, I've *got* to try this! Thanks so much for posting it, Jke. )

Been doing beef stew for years. My recipe is based on several others
and then took the best from each. It's one of my favorites. I just
finished a batch I made up a few weeks ago. I always make up a bunch,
then freeze about half of it. When the first half is gone, I wait a
week or two, then thaw the other half and have it a few more times.

Not complicated, but how you prepare it and make the roux is the
critical part.

2lbs Beef Chuck
2-3 cloves garlic chopped
1 white or red onion coarse chopped
1 cup red wine (didn't have any this time, so I used Sherry, which I
keep for exactly such occasions)
1 package frozen peas with pearl onions
1 package frozen corn
1 cup mushrooms cut to big pieces (I prefer crimini to button)
3 or 4 carrots, cut about 1/4" thick, more or less
2 bay leaves
salt
pepper
1 cup flour
a few tablespoons of olive oil or your favorite oil
2 - 4 cups water


Cut the beef up into whatever size chunks you like in stew. Dredge them

in seasoned flour. Heat up a tablespoon of oil in a large stew pot (4
qts or larger) until it's medium hot. DO NOT use a non-stick pot! You
can't make a roux in non-stick.
Put SOME of the meat in the oil, not enough to quite cover the bottom
of the pot. This is very important. The pieces of meat should not be
touching each other, or just barely touching. (If you pile the meat in,

you get an entirely different cooking process). Let the meat brown on
one side, give it time. Don't stir it a lot. When it's nice and
starting to form a crust, turn it and cook the other side. When it's
browned on as many sides as you can get it, take it out and put it in a

bowl. Keep browing the meat until it's all browned nicely. Add a little

more oil as needed to brown all the meat.
You'll see the brown crusty stuff in the bottom of the pan. Put in the
chopped onions and the garlic. Add a tablespoon or so of flour. Stir
and mix. Add another tablespoon of flour and stir again. You want the
flour to coat the onion so lumps don't form. I like to add a third
tablespoon of flour if it doesn't look to floury (takes some judgement
here).
Add the wine and stir. Add a cup of water. Put the meat and any juices
from it back in the stewpot. If necessary, add more water to just cover

the meat. Add the bay leaves.
Bring just barely to a boil, then reduce heat so it's just simmering.
Cook one hour.
Now add the carrots, and some water if the stew is not covered
completely. Cook 50 minutes. Stir once or twice during that time.
Add the peas, pearl onions, corn. Add the chopped mushrooms last. Cook
another 5 to ten minutes, util the veggies are hot. Don't cook the
mushrooms to mush! Just want them hot.
Get a scoop out and make yourself and whoever else a bowl of delicious
stew! Good with good bread or biscuits or even a salad.
I do this about 2 or 3 times a winter. I also make Beef Bourginion
(sp?) starting with pretty much the same ingredients and procedures
except for the wine is required and the veggies, except for the
mushrooms, aren't. I make it thicker, less water, and add some sour
cream just before it's done. YUM!

Hope you enjoy this recipe!

jmcquown wrote:


> I'm wondering what your favourite recipe for this wintry concoction might
> be!


1 pound beef shoulder (chuck), cubed into 1 inch squares
vegetable oil
flour
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large carrot and 1 rib of celery, grated
1 cups dry red wine
1 cups beef broth or stock


Dredge the beef in flour and shake off excess. Over high heat, sear the
beef for about 2 to 3 minutes per side or until golden brown all over.
With a slotted spoon remove the beef to a plate, keep warm, loosely
covered with foil. Saute the onions for about 10 to 15 minutes or until
brown and tender.

In a casserole dish over medium heat add the garlic, tomato paste,
mustard, thyme, grated lemon, and salt and pepper to taste. Add
the grated carrot and celery, wine, and broth. Add the beef to the
casserole. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover and set in the oven for 1
1/ 2 hours or until fork tender. Stir the beef on occasion.


Vegetables:

Carrots
turnips
potatoes
mushrooms

Cut carrots into 1 inch pieces, cube turnips and potatoes. Mushrooms can
go in whole, or cut in half if large. Steam vegetables separately for
15-20 minutes or until barely fork tender. Add to stew 15-20 minutes
before it is finished.

If the stew looks thin I will sometimes use my stick blender on 1 cup of
the liquid and a few pieces of vegetable.


Dawn

Beef & Guinness Stew

Preheat oven to 180DegC.

6 capsicum
2 to 3 heads of garlic
EV Olive Oil
1-2Kg lean beef, cubed (I generally use cubed/diced topside)
4 brown onions, sliced
1 Tblsp tomato paste
1 Ltr beef (or vegetable) stock OR 1/2 Ltr stock plus 1/2 Ltr passata
1 can (approx 400ml) Guinness
1 Tbls herbs - rosemary, marjoram, oregano, parsley
2 or 3 fresh bay leaves
Optional Extras:

3 or 4 potatoes, cubed
1 large orange sweet potato, cubed
1 parsnip, cubed
1 swede, cubed
1 cup cubed butternut pumpkin
1 cup frozen peas - or fresh!

Place 6 large capsicum (bell peppers) into baking pan, together with 2
or 3 heads of garlic. (Yep, I know it seems a lot, but once they are
baked they are very, very mellow...and so, so very delicious!) Drizzle
with evoo, thoroughly coating skins of both garlic and capsicums and
bake for around 40 minutes. Turn at least once to promote even cooking.
Once cooked, remove capsicums and place in freezer bags and tie off -
this aids in the eventual removal of non-digestible skin). Squeeze
garlic from husks and mash. Once the capsicums have cooled sufficiently
to handle, deseed and slice or dice - your choice. In same (hot) pan
add cubed/diced beef steak. Season with freshly ground black pepper and
toss through the capsicum juices/oil. Return baking dish to oven and
cook for around 30 minutes, tossing meat once or twice during this time
(saves on standing over cook top browning meat in a casserole!!) Into
large, heavy based (preferably Le Crueset) dutch oven/casserole, add 2
Tblsp olive oil and saute 4 large, finely sliced brown onions. Add the
mashed garlic and add 1 Tblsp tomato paste. Fry for one minute.

Add 1Litre beef stock, or half and half of beef stock and passata
(tomato puree) then add the roasted beef. Stir well and add 1 large can
of Guinness - secret ingredient! can substitute plain old lager/beer,
but the Guinness gives it a lovely dark, rich gravy! - then add the
beef and stir well. Add capsicums. Add freshly chopped herbs of choice
(around 1 Tblsp. all up - I use rosemary, marjoram, oregano, parsley &
bay) Simmer for at least one hour - preferably two. This will be much
nicer day two (or three, if it lasts that long!) Serve with boiled then
mashed potatoes (boiled with a couple of cloves of garlic, then smashed
and add 1 whole egg - gives a lovely creamy texture to the mash & the
heat of the spuds cooks the egg) and whatever veg you like. Main
serving accompaniment is thickly sliced crust bread with lashings of
fresh REAL butter!

Sometimes I add chopped potato, sweet potato, frozen peas, turnips,
pasnips, swedes, pumpkin to the stew at intervals so that all veg are
cooked (but not stewed to obliteration) by the time the meat is cooked
& tender. Other times I serve up an 'Irish Stew' - meat, onions,
potato, with other veg on the side. All I can say is that the roasted
meat cubes really, really were delicious - much more so than
cubed/diced meat which was stir fried at the stove top and then stewed.
PLUS it had the juices from the capsicum/garlic to infuse before the
slow cooking process started. Family gave it a wholehearted thumbs up -
and they were thoroughly smitten with my previous method!

LadyJane
--
"Never trust a skinny cook!"

"Damsel in dis Dress" > schreef in bericht
...
> On Tue, 31 Oct 2006 20:01:02 +0100, "Jke" >
> wrote:
>
>>But I usually wing my stews. They often include beef, canned tomatoes,
>
> Nice touch! I've never thought of doing that, but I'll bet it adds a
> lot of depth to the flavor!
>
>>I also love hachee, which is a Dutch classic that involves equal weights
>>of
>>beef and onions (get them really brown to make sure you don't wind up with
>>a
>>grey sauce) and ginger snaps (ontbijtkoek or taaitaai, really, but the
>>spices are much the same). It's served with potatoes and red cabbage.
>
> Okay, I've *got* to try this! Thanks so much for posting it, Jke. )

Then you might find inspiration on this site (both in Dutch and English and
the best of its kind, afaik):

http://www.hollandsepot.dordt.nl/

They actually have a recipe for hachee:
http://www.hollandsepot.dordt.nl/dutch/dutch.html
Savory beef and onion stew (hachée)

Ingredients:
2 large thinly sliced onions, ¼ cup flour, ¼ cup butter or margarine, 2 cups
stock or stock of meatcubes, 3 bay leaves, 5 cloves, 1 tbsp. vinegar, ½ lb.
sliced cold or leftover meat, preferably beef, 2 tbsp. cornflour, pepper,
Worcestershire sauce.
Preparations:
Brown the onions and the flour in the butter in a saucepan. Add stock
gradually, stirring all the time. Add bay leaves and cloves and simmer for
five minutes with the lid on the pan. Add the vinegar and the diced meat.
Simmer for another hour. Mix the cornflour with a little water. Add this to
the stew to thicken the sauce. Simmer for five minutes, stirring
continuously. Make it to taste with a little pepper and Worcestershire
sauce. Serve with mashed or boiled potatoes and red cabbage with this dish.



I should mention that in my stews, I ususally brown the meat, take it out,
brown the onions, put the beef back in, sitr in some flour, wait for it to
take in fat. Then I add the hot liquid and simmer ever so slowly.

In *hachee* in particular, I do not use the cloves, nor the Worcesterhire
sauce, but I use ontbijtkoek (ginger snaps). It's added at the very end, in
crumbles. Use less flour if you're doing that.

On Tue, 31 Oct 2006 23:35:18 +0100, "Jke" >
wrote:

>"Damsel in dis Dress" > schreef in bericht
.. .
>
>> Okay, I've *got* to try this! Thanks so much for posting it, Jke. )
>
>Then you might find inspiration on this site (both in Dutch and English and
>the best of its kind, afaik):
>
>http://www.hollandsepot.dordt.nl/
>
>They actually have a recipe for hachee:
>http://www.hollandsepot.dordt.nl/dutch/dutch.html
> Savory beef and onion stew (hachée)

Thanks so much, Jke! My favorite Dutch thing is hot milk with anise
extract and a little sugar. A former RFCer told me about that years
ago.

> Thanks so much, Jke! My favorite Dutch thing is hot milk with anise
> extract and a little sugar. A former RFCer told me about that years
> ago.

I had no idea that was a specificaly Dutch thing But its'great in winter,
after ice skating on lakes and canals (if a winter is cold enough).

On Tue, 31 Oct 2006 23:53:15 +0100, "Jke" >
wrote:

>> Thanks so much, Jke! My favorite Dutch thing is hot milk with anise
>> extract and a little sugar. A former RFCer told me about that years
>> ago.
>
>I had no idea that was a specificaly Dutch thing But its'great in winter,
>after ice skating on lakes and canals (if a winter is cold enough).

Yeah, she said that you can buy sugar cubes with the anise flavoring
already in them. Just heat the milk and drop in a cube or two. I've
never heard of it from anyone else. Sounds odd to the uninitiated,
but it's a marvelous beverage!

Damsel in dis Dress wrote:
> On Tue, 31 Oct 2006 20:01:02 +0100, "Jke" >
> wrote:
>
>> canned
>> tomatoes,
>
> Nice touch! I've never thought of doing that, but I'll bet it adds a
> lot of depth to the flavor!
>
I occasionally add canned tomatoes, the diced ones, because I don't care for
chunks of tomatoes in my stew. Diced tomatoes cook down nicely.

Jill

Damsel in dis Dress wrote:
> On Tue, 31 Oct 2006 11:53:07 -0600, "jmcquown"
> > wrote:
>
> I know you don't like c*****s, so I won't recommend them.

"Carrots" is not a bad word, silly! I just don't like to eat them. I do
use them to add flavour. I only fish them out of my bowl you goofy gal!

Jill

Nancy Young wrote:
> "Puester" > wrote
>
>> Damsel in dis Dress wrote:
>>>
>>> The potatoes should give off some starch to help thicken the sauce
>>> into a gravy. If the floured meat and the potatoes aren't
>>> sufficient to make it thick, add some flour mixed with water until
>>> it's the right consistency.
>
>> Serving stew over mashed potatoes is also yummy, especially if your
>> gravy is really savory.
>
> Heh, I should have read the thread, the flour thing is already
> out there.
>
> nancy

Oh no, you'd probably have put some of that jarred mole in there! (giggling)

Jill

"jmcquown" > wrote

> Nancy Young wrote:

>> Heh, I should have read the thread, the flour thing is already
>> out there.

> Oh no, you'd probably have put some of that jarred mole in there!
> (giggling)

Heck no, no chocolate in chili, no chocolate in stew.

No bananas, no raisins, no .......

nancy

Nancy Young wrote on 31 Oct 2006 in rec.food.cooking

>
> "jmcquown" > wrote
>
> > Nancy Young wrote:
>
> >> Heh, I should have read the thread, the flour thing is already
> >> out there.
>
> > Oh no, you'd probably have put some of that jarred mole in there!
> > (giggling)
>
> Heck no, no chocolate in chili, no chocolate in stew.
>
> No bananas, no raisins, no .......
>
> nancy
>
>
>

I put grapes in my stew...Grape Tomatoes. The flavour when you burst one in
your mouth is fantastic.

"Mr Libido Incognito" > wrote

> Nancy Young wrote on 31 Oct 2006 in rec.food.cooking

>> Heck no, no chocolate in chili, no chocolate in stew.
>>
>> No bananas, no raisins, no .......

> I put grapes in my stew...Grape Tomatoes. The flavour when you burst one
> in
> your mouth is fantastic.

Sounds good to me, although usually I don't put tomato in stew.
Don't they cook down?

nancy

On Wed, 1 Nov 2006 00:00:45 -0500, "Nancy Young" >
wrote:

>Sounds good to me, although usually I don't put tomato in stew.
>Don't they cook down?

Tomato is a fruit, doncha know?

Christine

Nancy Young wrote on 31 Oct 2006 in rec.food.cooking

> Sounds good to me, although usually I don't put tomato in stew.
> Don't they cook down?
>
> nancy
>
>
>

No not really, But I only put them in stews in the last 20 minutes of
simmering or so. I've braised using them as an ingredient and a few broke
(err minor exploded), but not that many.

"Nancy Young" > wrote in news:cq-dnSn-
:

>
> "Christine Dabney" > wrote
>
>> On Wed, 1 Nov 2006 00:00:45 -0500, "Nancy Young" >
>> wrote:
>>
>>>Sounds good to me, although usually I don't put tomato in stew.
>>>Don't they cook down?
>>
>> Tomato is a fruit, doncha know?
>
> Yet, I've never seen a fruit basket that contained even one!
>
> Heh. nancy
>
>
>

SPAM goes good with tomatoes.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

"Christine Dabney" > wrote

> On Wed, 1 Nov 2006 00:00:45 -0500, "Nancy Young" >
> wrote:
>
>>Sounds good to me, although usually I don't put tomato in stew.
>>Don't they cook down?
>
> Tomato is a fruit, doncha know?

Yet, I've never seen a fruit basket that contained even one!

Heh. nancy

Nancy Young wrote:
> "Mr Libido Incognito" > wrote
>
>> Nancy Young wrote on 31 Oct 2006 in rec.food.cooking
>
>>> Heck no, no chocolate in chili, no chocolate in stew.
>>>
>>> No bananas, no raisins, no .......
>
>> I put grapes in my stew...Grape Tomatoes. The flavour when you burst
>> one in
>> your mouth is fantastic.
>
> Sounds good to me, although usually I don't put tomato in stew.
> Don't they cook down?
>
> nancy

I definitely don't put tomatoes in stew... why do people do that? It's not
chili!

Jill