In a recent thread called "In a Stew" we had a discussion on what a stew is.
https://pelletfan.com/index.php?topic=6938.0I had given my recipe for a broth based stew, which triggered the discussion. Is it a stew, or is it a soup?
I made a stew overnight and will show how this broth based stew is cooked and what it looks like when it is done.
I copied the recipe from the referenced thread. After the recipe I will comment on decisions I made for this particular stew.
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.
Comments on this particular stew.
The size that each vegetable is cut is very important to the final product. Size decisions are based on the size of the particular vegetables that will go into the stew. The key is to cut them so that they hold together over the course of a long cook.
Bulk carrots were very large. This is actually good for the stew. I usually look for large carrots.
The zucchini was larger that ideal. I used the smallest I could find. I usually like smaller zucchini's so that I can slice them long. This provides a lot of peel to help hold the zucchini together. I had to cut these in shorter slices since the zucchini's were so large.
There was no corn on the cob so I used canned corn. This was a low carb version with no potatoes. The corn serves to add some sweetness.
There were no green beans so I used a bag of precut and washed green beans. I broke the green beans in half.
The broth was made with one can of spicy V8 juice, 20 ounces of vegetable broth (made from Better than Bouillon) and Tiger Sauce. The stew was seasoned with minced garlic, ground pepper and two bay leaves.
Meat was placed on top since it cooks slower than vegetables. I started the crock pot on high for one hour and then switched to low over night. I cooked the stew for nine hours.
The pictures show what went into the stew and how I cut them. I had mentioned that I keep the pieces large so that you can eat the stew with a fork.
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