LurfysMa wrote:
> On Mon, 24 Oct 2005 17:25:43 GMT, "Doug Kanter"
> > 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)...
> >
> >Nope. That's why the recipes vary so much. Why not just experiment?
>
> Well, yes, that's what I plan to do. I was hoping for some general
> guidelines so I don't have to toss quite so many failures.
>
General guidelines on process:

Do brown the beef well in a little bit of oil. Don't flour it
first, even though thousands of recipes say to do so. You want to
brown the meat darkly, caramelize it, and create "fond", those little
bits and pieces on the bottom of the pan that eventually enhance the
stew's flavor. Flour interferes with that. If the stew needs
thickening, do that at the end. Don't use a nonstick pan for stew for
the same reason -- it won't create fond.

If possible, do make the stew the day before. The overnight in the
'fridge improves the blending of the flavors and also lets you remove
any congealed fat from the surface. It also encourages you to use
vegetables in two stages (see below).

Do control the heat. You want the barest shimmering surface, not a
steadily bubbling one. Longer and slower produces markedly better
results.

When you reheat it the second day, do taste carefully for seasoning
when it's hot, not when it's still cold.

General guidelines on ingredients.

It's all up to your taste. Some people love celery, some don't,
and the same for carrots. Some people always use tomatoes, others
never. Same for potatoes.

Some veggies change character as they cook longer and longer.
Carrots and celery are prime examples. I like carrots, for example,
but if I use as many carrots as I like from the beginning of the
cooking then the stew becomes too sweet and the carrots too mushy.
Solution for this is I use one medium carrot per lb. of meat at the
beginning. When the first cooking is done, I remove it. For the
second cooking, or reheating, I add however many carrots I want and
they cook only 20 minutes. Same thing with potatoes--they never go in
until the second day, if I'm going to use them at all. (Often we eat
stew with noodles or rice and omit the potatoes.)

Experiment with beer or wine, too. Look for "daube de bouef" and
"boeuf bourgignon."

And now, finally, to your original question: I like the overall
proportions to be at least 1/2 beef, no more than 1/2 vegetables. Less
meat than that and it looks like a soup to me. -aem