Pellet Fan
All Things Considered => General Discussion--Food Related => Topic started by: jdmessner on September 24, 2021, 10:32:12 AM
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I attend lunch every once and a while at the local senior center. I was a little insulted that they never asked for my ID and just assumed I qualified! I have found that if you want to know what is going on in the area (along with a complete commentary) there will be no shortage of people in the know!!
In November they have a beef stew dinner as a fundraiser. I was asked to make the stew. I have made a lot of beef casseroles, but have not done a lot of what would be considered a traditional stew. Looking for any tips, recipes, or advice. I have plenty of time, so I thought I would try some test batches. Thanks in advance.
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I have not made it in a long time, and I cheated when I did.
I would cube up both beef and pork, dredge well in seasoned flour. Oil or I usually had lard on hand, in a large heavy bottomed pot, I would brown all of the meat, in batches and adding more lard if needed, just try not to burn what is on the bottom of the pot. Then add in beef broth, could probably add some wine of choice also I guess. and kind of deglaze the pan. Add in the meat and the taters carrots, onions, celery, peppers ( I am usually using some green but red and yellow also) a few cloves of chopped garlic and the secret ingredient, a couple packs of beef stew seasoning mix from the store, like McCormick. Then just allow it to cook until the veggies are where you like and it is thickened to your taste.
I know people that put cabbage and beans in it also, but I have not done that.
Head over to the bread thread and pick out a recipe for some sort of crusty chewy bead to go with it. I cheated there also, I would find a loaf at the bakery.
Only tip I can really give is the same tip I give people when they ask about making chili. Be sure to have a pot at least 2 to 3 times larger than you think you're goint to need. I learned that long ago after having to switch to lager pots once or twice during the cook.
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Stew is one of my favorites. I came up with my recipe after being treated to a broth based stew by friends of my climbing partners in Bishop California, on the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
This stew is made in a crock pot, but you could probably make it in a big pot on the stove, or a pressure cooker. I just don't know the timing.
I prefer the brothy base over a thickened stew. This is a healthy dish with lots of vegetables, low carbs and low fat. You can even leave out the meat if you want a really reduce the calories.
I make it as follows:
2 pounds of beef stew meat (I used to rotate weekly between beef, chicken and pork, but beef is best)
Large slices of the following. The key is to keep the pieces large to help hold them together, and so each bite is different. This is not a homogenized dish like many stews.
Zucchini (Maximize the peel in the slices to help hold the zucchini together during cooking. I do 1 1/2 to 2 inch slices. Zucchini is a dominate feature of this stew and works because it is broth based.)
Onions (cut in wedges)
Carrots (I like large carrots cut in 1 1/2 to 2 inch pieces)
Green beans
Tomatoes (cut in wedges)
Corn from the cob (as a sweetener for a lower carb stew without potatoes)
Potatoes (I occasionally add potatoes but prefer the low carb variant)
Cabbage (cut in wedges and layer, don't shred)
Garlic
Mix the vegetables on the bottom adding the cabbage as a layer on top. Vegetables cook the slowest.
I then layer the meat on top of the cabbage.
I make the broth using one can of vegetable broth and one can of V8 juice. I add Tiger sauce to add some bite. (It is important to use vegetable broth and not beef or chicken. Vegetable broth blends better with the V8.)
I spice with pepper. Sometimes I add some bay leaves from the garden. I do not add salt. There is enough salt already in the broth.
Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, allow to cool and mix. Serve in a bowl since it is broth based.
This is definitely not your typical stew. It is a nice chunky stew with a flavorful broth. It is the type of stew where you can stab the ingredients with a fork.
You can add or subtract vegetables based on what you like. Celery is good but I don't use enough to buy it. I add it when I have some. I have added yucca root as a starch, but it is tougher than potatoes.
Basically, put in whatever vegetables you like. It is easy to experiment. Skip broccoli, though. Broccoli would overwhelm the stew.
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I think it all comes down to what do you want in it? It can be as simple as meat, onions and potatoes with a thicknin gravy base, or you can throw in the whole kitchen sink. I lean towards the simpler stew, as I want the meat to be what shines. Brisket works wonderful as a stew meat so does Chuck. It used to also be the cheapest cut that would still have fat and flavor, but those day are gone for a few more months.
Will it be served over anything of is it just a bowl of stew they will get?
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Stew has sooooooo many possible variations. Bentley likes the meat to shine. I like the vegetables. Then you get variants like Sheppard's Pie. Stew is one of those dishes that you can really get creative with.
I use the visualization method when I cook. I visualize what I like and then make it. I will use recipes, on occasion, for help in translating my vision. My stew is a perfect example of this. I visualized what I liked, and made it.
The big question is, are you going to make something the audience is used to, and comfortable with, or do something different? This is where knowing your audience helps.
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Thanks for the input on the stews. There is a lot to consider. I think I will need to keep it fairly basic since it will be for a group with varying tastes.
I really like my wife's biscuits. I am hoping to talk her into making some to go with the stew.
The only real concern I have at this point is the thickness of the gravy. I don't want it too thin. I am hoping if I flour the beef, the fat I brown it in will be enough to do the trick. If needed I guess I could do a roux, but that is where experimentation comes in.
Thanks again. I will keep you updated on any test runs in the weeks ahead.
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I grew up with beef and chicken stews always thickened with dark roux. I was confused the first time I had one that wasn't. Most meals included rice and "gravy". :lick:
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You may be planning on using beef stock or beef broth as your liquid, but I also think that water with "Better Than Bouillon" beef base gives good flavor to the gravy.
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First round of experiments in the books. I did two stews yesterday. The first was a recipe sent to me by Trooper. It reminded me of my childhood, which makes sense because he got it from the Betty Crocker Cookbook. My mom and grandma used it religiously. It is very traditional, but I would not have thought to add parsnips and turnips, but they were a great compliment to the stew. It was very thick.
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The second effort was Hank's recipe. I loved the way it turned out. However, I think a lot of people in the the general public would consider it more of a soup than a stew. I will be earmarking the recipe for future reference.
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The second effort was Hank's recipe. I loved the way it turned out. However, I think a lot of people in the the general public would consider it more of a soup than a stew. I will be earmarking the recipe for future reference.
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First round of experiments in the books. I did two stews yesterday. The first was a recipe sent to me by Trooper. It reminded me of my childhood, which makes sense because he got it from the Betty Crocker Cookbook. My mom and grandma used it religiously. It is very traditional, but I would not have thought to add parsnips and turnips, but they were a great compliment to the stew. It was very thick.
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That looks great. I could go for a big serving of that. :clap: :clap:
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That looks great. I could go for a big serving of that. :clap: :clap:
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Me to
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I make a lot of stew, but I only make this once a year or so. It's my favorite, but my other recipes are much faster and less "busy".
The transcription is from Chef Jean-Pierre's recipe from his YouTube video, here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyLCCZnOdTk).
Ingredients
1 tablespoon of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 pounds of Beef Chuck Roast (well-trimmed & cut into approx. 1½ inch cubes)
20 Cipollini or Pearl Onions
½ pound of Button Mushrooms, cut into quarters (or sixths if big mushrooms)
2 tablespoons of fresh Garlic, minced
2 cups of Tomatoes (peeled, seeded and chopped) or one can of peeled and chopped Tomatoes
1 can of Cherry Tomatoes (optional)
½ cup (approx.) of Tomato Puree
1 teaspoon of Fresh Thyme, minced
1 teaspoon of Fresh Rosemary, minced
1 cup of good quality Port Wine
5 cups of Beef Stock (1 cup is reserved is needed to adjust consistency at the end)
1 Bay Leaf
½ cup of Flour
Salt and Black Pepper to taste
40 Baby Carrots (quantity was estimated by watching the video)
25 Brussels Sprouts (quantity was estimated by watching the video)
60 Tiny Potatoes (quantity was estimated by watching the video)
1 tablespoon Cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water (ONLY if necessary)
2 tablespoons of chopped Parsley
Directions
- In a large skillet or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and add as many meat cubes as you can without crowding. (If the skillet is too crowded, the meat won't brown properly.)
- Brown the meat well on all sides, remove each batch as it browns and set them aside. It may be necessary to add a little olive oil.
- When all the beef has been browned and removed, add the onions in the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are golden brown.
- Add the mushrooms and cook until they have released most of their water.
- Add the garlic and stir.
- When the garlic is fragrant (about 1 minute), add the tomatoes, the port wine and browned beef cubes.
- Add the tomato puree, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf & beef stock, bring them to a gentle boil.
- Immerse a fine mesh strainer in the pot and add the flour by using a whisk to force the flour through the strainer (add more flour if needed).
- Reduce the heat to low, let the mixture simmer for 2 to 2½ hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender.
- Separately boil Baby Carrots, Brussel Sprouts, and Small Potatoes for 10 minutes.
- Remove them from the water, rinse them with cold water, pat them dry and set them aside.
- Sauté the boiled Baby Carrots, Brussel Sprouts, and Small Potatoes.
- Adjust the stew thickness with corn starch or the extra stock if necessary.
- Plate the stew, add the Baby Carrots, Brussel Sprouts, and Small Potatoes to the plate and sprinkle freshly chopped parsley.
Tip
This is delicious served over mashed potatoes.
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The second effort was Hank's recipe. I loved the way it turned out. However, I think a lot of people in the the general public would consider it more of a soup than a stew. I will be earmarking the recipe for future reference.
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I am glad you gave it a try. It is definitely not a typical stew, but stew does not require a thickened sauce. We are just accustomed to it being that way.
I make the pieces much larger. For instance, I find the biggest carrots in the bulk bin and cut them in one to two inch lengths depending on the size.
The same for the other vegetables. This helps the vegetables hang together. It also makes it so each bite is different. You have to pretty much eat one vegetable at a time.
I like the lack of homogeneity in this stew.
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I am curious Hank, how do you differentiate between a stew and a soup?
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I am curious Hank, how do you differentiate between a stew and a soup?
There are a couple of ways. One would be the ratio of meat and vegetables to broth. A soup would be more broth focused, while a stew would be more meat and vegetable focused.
I mentioned that I make the pieces large. I also mentioned that I eat the stew with a fork. That leads to another possible definition. Soup is eaten with a spoon; stew is eaten with a fork.
Neither of these definitions are definitive. I have seen folks eat stews with spoons if the chunks are small.
In my case, I call it a stew because there are far more chunks than broth.
There was a restaurant in my area that used to make a vegetable soup that was similar, but it had far more broth.
The upshot is that I do not have a clear definition, or understanding, of the demarcations point on the soup/stew continuum.
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For me a stew is not going to have a liquid broth, I guess it would be considered more of a gravy. But for me, that is usually accomplished with taking some of the liquid and vegetables and hitting them with a wand blender and adding back to the stew. Sometimes a little rue is added. It needs to stick to my ribs!
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I have also been of the opinion that a stew has a thick liquid more consistent with a gravy and a soup has a thin liquid.
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I have also been of the opinion that a stew has a thick liquid more consistent with a gravy and a soup has a thin liquid.
That's the way I would have defined them but I'm often wrong on cooking definitions so I didn't post an opinion until I saw that I wasn't alone.
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Here is a good description of what a stew is. Stewing, or the making of stew, is a process where the ingredients are submerged in liquid while cooking.
My stew looks a bit like the stew at the beginning of the article. It might be concentrated more than I do. It's hard to tell from a picture.
I don't concentrate mine. There is no reason why I couldn't. I cook it the way I like it. Also, leaving out thickening agents reduces the calories.
And I won't touch butter so no roux for me unless it is in gumbo.
https://www.jessicagavin.com/stewing/
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I never really thought much about what constitutes a stew, but always associated it with a thick gravy. However, I as I read Hank's comments and did a little digging on the definition of what a stew is, my understanding has evolved.
According to Webster, stew means: to boil slowly or with simmering heat. So the process of boiling or simmering meat and vegetables in liquid slowly is what qualifies a dish as a stew. I don't think thickness of the liquid makes a difference. However, I guess that begs the question: Are most soups then technically stews? The bottom line is there is no wrong answer, it is all good! Cook what you like and go from there!!
A little later in the week I am headed downstate with my mom to visit my brother and they volunteered to be Guinea Pigs. I am looking forward to trying out Big Dave's and Paul's recipes. I like the idea of mixing the pork and beef in Dave's recipe and after watching the video Paul posted with his, I am now a Chef Jean-Pierre fan!
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I guess I think there is a difference between the process of stewing and the dish we eat called stew.
Under the definition Hank is using, all soups are stews because when I make vegetable or bean or split pea soup (etc) I am submerging my ingredients in liquid to cook -- i.e. I am stewing my vegetable or chicken noodle soup. But that is soup because it is a thinner liquid which I could almost drink in a cup.
A stew, to me, needs a nice thick gravy. Yes, I will cook it by stewing it, but that is also how I cook pot roast and I don't call pot roast a stew.
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According to Webster, stew means: to boil slowly or with simmering heat. So the process of boiling or simmering meat and vegetables in liquid slowly is what qualifies a dish as a stew.
That appears to be the definition of the verb stew, not the noun.
[A]fter watching the video Paul posted with his, I am now a Chef Jean-Pierre fan!
:) Chef Jean-Pierre is a kick!
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I have read a number of definitions and none have limited stew to thickened gravy. The link I posted was just an easy example that described stew as both a process and a noun.
Here is a bone broth stew recipe. This is very similar to mine except that I use a vegetable broth.
https://www.christopherjamesclark.com/blog/bone-broth-beef-stew-recipe/
If you google "stew noun" and select images in your browser you will find many examples of broth based stews.
Expanding your view of what a stew can be opens up opportunities for excellent new dishes.
Broth based stews are also pretty common in non American cooking. They can also be very healthy, which is why I first started making mine.
Stews were a big part of maintaining my fitness as a climber, since I need to keep my weight down.
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I can still enjoy the excellent new dishes and just think of them as soups! :pig:
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That's true. What counts is that they taste good, not what we call them...and as a bonus, they are good for you.
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Tried Paul's stew last week. It got great reviews from the relatives downstate.
My wife went to the store for me and came back with cocktail onions for pearl onions, it was all they had. I added some of the onion juice to the gravy and it gave it a bit of a vinegary taste, which was still good, but different. The port wine gave it a nice flavor. I couldn't find baby potatoes so I cut up regular red skins.
Since I was traveling, one thing that worked well was steaming the potatoes and carrots ahead of time. I also browned the meat and made the gravy with the onions and mushrooms before I went down. It was easy to mix it in the crockpot once I got there and let it cook.
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How many folks are you planning on feeding at the senior center? Are you going to be able to cook enough in Crock Pots or is this going to be an industrial sized pot cook?
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That's getting closer to my idea of what a stew is.
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How many folks are you planning on feeding at the senior center? Are you going to be able to cook enough in Crock Pots or is this going to be an industrial sized pot cook?
They typically have around 50 for the dinner. From what I was told the stew has traditionally been made in electric roasters. I have not tried to put together a shopping list yet. However, I have had two people tell me they have meat in their freezer they are going to donate for the stew. I asked what kind and they both said beef. That didn't narrow it down much, but I am sure it will all be good.
Just found out the exact date, it is November 20. I still have time for a couple more test batches.
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If I may make a recommendation ask your friends to provide you the meat a few days before hand, thaw it out then apply salt overnight before the cook and if necessary Jaccard it before cooking.
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I agree, Jaccarding really helps meat used in stew
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so based on this thread I went ahead and made chicken with mushroom and gravy with red wine. I reduced the wine until it was like a stew mixture.
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Yesterday was sample day at the senior center. I made Big Dave's, Paul's, and Troopers stews (because this is more of a traditional crowd, I did not make Hank's).
It was fun making three stews at once. It was actually easier than it I thought it might be, since most of the basic ingredients were the same. I did kind of rush the process. All of the stews had gravy that was of good consistency, but none were what I would consider thick. Bentley, I think you would have approved!
People really liked Paul's stew, but didn't think it would meet the expectations for the general public. I gave what was left to folks to take home. When asked what kind of stew they wanted, people started calling it "The Fancy Stew"! I think that name may stick!!
Big Dave's and Trooper's recipes were actually very close. People noticed the secret ingredient in Dave's recipe (the dry stew seasoning mix). However they didn't think we should add pork to the stew for the general public. There are some people that usually come that do not eat pork.
The consensus was Trooper's recipe was what they were looking for when they have the supper. At the end of the lunch I combined the two stews and that was really good! I will probably end up combining elements from both recipes when it comes to the dinner.
I forgot my phone, so I do not have any pictures, but I will try and post some in November from the event. Thanks again for all the help and discussion.
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This Saturday is the stew dinner. I think I have the ingredients set, but just trying to figure out proportions. There are a lot of people donating stuff, so I won't know what l have for sure until Thursday, then I will go shopping for the rest.
The goal is to feed 50 hungry people, which is a bit different than 50 servings. From what I can tell that should come out to about 4 gallons of stew. However, I probably will not know how many gallons I have until I finish the prep. Here is what I have so far, let me know if I need to adjust it at all.
20-25 lbs. Stew meat
10-15 lbs. Potatoes
4 lbs. Turnips
8 lbs. Carrots
5 lbs. Parsnips
4 lbs. Celery
5 lbs. Diced onions
Appropriate amounts of:
Better than beef base
Salt and pepper
Garlic
McCormick beef stew seasoning
Kitchen bouquet
Suet
To brown the meat I found an old church recipe from the area. The church ladies were very particular about browning the meat in suet. According to the notes it was their secret ingredient. I may give that a try!
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After talking with someone who remembered the meat browned in suet from back in the day, I am not going to do it. She said she never liked it that way. Maybe I will try it at home sometime, but probably best not to start by experimenting in public!
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I didn't want to say anything to go against local tradition, but I have to agree with her!
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Tomorrow is stew days! I put the stew together tonight and have it cooking at around 200* overnight. They start serving at 11 a.m.
Here is the final recipe. It is heavy on potatoes and light on carrots and celery, but should be OK. My projections were a bit off. I ended up with double the amount we were aiming for. That's not all bad. We should have enough and we can be generous.
20 lb. Chuck Roast
20 lb. Potatoes
1 Bunch Celery
6 lbs. Onions
3 lb. Turnips
3 lb Parsnips
4 Tbsp. Minced Garlic
Flour, S and P to coat meat
Gravy Broth
1 gallon boiling water
2 packs McCormick Stew Seasoning
1 jar Better than Bullion (38 servings)
Yield 8 gallons (two 18 quart roasters)
Sautéed veggies and then browned the beef, combined with broth in roasters. Set on 200* overnight.
Can't wait to see what it looks like in the morning!
I was pleasantly surprised to find a good work crew that came to help. I just told folks what time I would be there and wasn't sure who was going to show up. They made great time chopping the veggies and cutting up the meat.
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It is looking good!
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Looks great so far and always nice to have help!!!
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Lookin' good!
50 lbs of stew should feed a good size group.
Any bread and butter to go with it ?
Bread is always good for sopping up liquids left on the plate. ;D
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12 hours later. I was pleased with the results, especially the gravy. Not to thick or to thin. The tips on Better than Bullion and the McCormick seasoning packets were spot on. It was a good combination.
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Getting ready for the bake sale!
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Lookin' good!
Any bread and butter to go with it ?
Bread is always good for sopping up liquids left on the plate. ;D
The menu is stew, biscuits, fruit cobbler, ice cream and a beverage for $7. My kind of meal, meat and potatoes, dessert, no rabbit food!
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That'd cure a vegan!
Perfect comfort food.
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Great menu, great price. Hope the bake sale does well.
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All in all, not a bad day. People seemed to really like the stew (at least a lot of folks said it was better than what the last person did)! However, from what I understand, the bar was not too high.
Probably the one thing that was worth noting, was the difference between the two roasters. The senior center had an older one that had temps on the dial, but no matter where you had the dial it was hot. It was hard to keep it from boiling. The other one was mine. It's a bit newer and probably kept a more accurate temp. There was no thermometer there and I kept forgetting to bring one.
When I arrived in the morning both roasters were looking good. However, as the day went on the stew in the older one got thicker and thicker. Ended up cutting it with some of the stew from my roaster. That worked for a while, then I added some more broth from the McCormick Stew Seasoning. It was good after that.
We ended up with a lot of stew left over. I made about double of what they asked for. As it turned out, the veterans group down the street was having a work day and appreciated the stew.
The group is called 22-2-none. They are working to reduce the number of veteran suicides from 22 a day to none. They purchased an elementary school that the district closed a few years ago. The are renovating classrooms into apartments for vets and their families. Among other things they will also be able to provide temporary housing, counseling and recreational opportunities.
I was talking with the director about doing something for them at Christmas. As it turns out they are having a Christmas party December 11 during the Army/Navy game.
Looks like I will be doing food for the party. So, my next big cook will be Italian beef and Philly cheese steak, brats, and chicken drumsticks. Tried to go with kind of a tailgate theme. Watch for details coming soon!
I sure enjoyed all the discussion and feedback on the stew. It wouldn't have been nearly as good without you!!! Thanks!!
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Glad it turned out OK for you.
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Great work JD, the country would be a much better place if it had a lot more like you.
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Great work JD, the country would be a much better place if it had a lot more like you.
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Well after following this post I decided to go ahead and make a stew tonight. I reviewed a number of recipes and finally decided on two one fromThe City Tavern which s early American cuisine and the other Jubilee which has two centuries of African
American cooking. Although some what similar I went mostly with the recipe from Jubilee because it used 4 cups of wine. So I figured I kill two birds with one stone. I will use the whole bottle in the stew and won't have to clean any wine glasses. I am cooking it down for about two to three hours. The ingredients were simple onions, carrots, garlic and bayleaves with cubes of meat dusted in flour mixed with garlic salt and garlic pepper and sweet and smoked paprika. These were my additions as the original recipe did not call for it. Will serve over noodles.
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I also had mushrooms in it and tomatoes paste. Here are two photos
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Is there sausage in that? Looks similar to a beef stroganoff too
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Is there sausage in that? Looks similar to a beef stroganoff too
There is no sausage in it and in many ways beef stroganoff is similar to American stew however in American stew there is no cream added. I can say that when Travelled almost very country has there own version. some are cooked with lamp, goat etc they were all good.
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what are the round red looking things? they looked like sausage but I don't have my new glasses yet. Regardless, nice presentation once again.
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what are the round red looking things? they looked like sausage but I don't have my new glasses yet. Regardless, nice presentation once again.
They are the carrots
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I thought it was sausage at 1st also. With the wine, a cousin of beef bourguignon?
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On my larger monitor, I can now tell they are carrots even without new glasses.
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I thought it was sausage it 1st also. With the wine, a cousin of beef bourguignon?
It is very similar however I used only wine, no stock or flour nor did I use pearl onions. I also added different spices however that is what is fun about cooking. You can do it your way. I always a recipe is a guide for me to explore.
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Ok you guys win, stew it is. I picked up a couple of nice looking chuck roast yesterday so I'm going to give it a try. I may have missed it, but do you smoke the meat before you cube and sear. I may give the Insta pot a try.
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Ok you guys win, stew it is. I picked up a couple of nice looking chuck roast yesterday so I'm going to give it a try. I may have missed it, but do you smoke the meat before you cube and sear. I may give the Insta pot a try.
I did not see a need to smoke the meat before hand as I added smoke paprika to the flour mix used on the meat when browning it, however I am sure it would add a very nice flavor. Also I ma not a fan of the instant pot as I always like tasting the dish as I cook it. I found I could not do that easily with the instant Pot. In fact I gave mine away.
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Kristin made a nice one yesterday from the left over Omaha. I asked her to leave the potatoes out as I like mine over mashed potatoes.
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Thanks Urnmor for the input, I've decided to cube then smoke on frog mats for 1 hour at 150° on the DC. The jury is still out on the Insta pot. Decision will be made real time. Will omit smoked paprika. I ended up with 3.5 lbs. of cubes and .5 lb. trim. my intent is to bake then boil trim to make broth.