Do you make a good stew ?

[Jules]

...and I have a handering for some chili....hope someone starts a Chili thread!

 

[tuckermarilyn]

I am going to try them both. They sound soooo good.

 

[shinekeeper]

Sure is the season/weather for them!

 

[smiley_face2]

Shine, your recipe is almost the same as mine! except I don't add the hot stuff, and after browning my meat and onions, I add about 1/2 cup of red or white wine, deglaze the pan, then add about a quart of water. Sometimes I add turnips, sometimes I don't. I do add celery, carrots, potatoes, and I use beef oxo, not the cubes but the powder about 3 tablespoons, and about 4 tablespoons of the chicken oxo. Oh, and I also add crushed garlic to my onions and beef, and celery. I also throw in a good handful or 2 depending on the size of the stew, of pearl barley. I don't use cabbage, or corn, but do use the rest of the vegies you mentioned like the beans, peas and even lima beans. I watched a "science of cooking" show one time, and he explained that when you brown meat, it changes the meat to produce all these different extra flavor compounds, then when you add the onion to that the flavor compounds more than double, then when you add in the wine the flavor compounds change again and go through the roof! it was a really fascinating cooking show! I love knowing the reason behind things! lol... It's also important to brown your meat in batches, so it all browns nicely, not to just add all the pounds of meat in at once and start cooking all the ingredients together, you won't get as many flavor compounds that way. mmmmm I think stew may be on the menu tomorrow.... but it will be venison instead of beef!

 

[Mari-Jo]

Let me know how you like it.

Sass............Your stew was DELICIOUS!! I had enough to feed the neighbourhood.....lol........so, yes, the rest is in the freezer for next weekend. This is what I like about stew, etc., when you can freeze them, and have it for lunch through the week, or weekends...............its already taken care of. Thanks!

 

[sassmuffin]

I am so glad you tried it (and liked it!!). There is a lot, but boy in this weather.. Col has to plow tonight (again) and asked if there was any left at home (not). so I am whipping up a batch so the crew (10) can stop in about 3:30am and have something hot before finishing up.. You just made my day. Thanks!!!!

 

[smiley_face2]

Sass... you are such a nice person!!
We got a Foodsaver vacume sealer this year; I've been freezing things like left over lasagna, stew, macaroni mish mash etc. in single or double serving size packages. You can either put the package in boiling water for a few minutes, or zap them in the microwave. makes perfect little frozen lunches etc. and they can take them off in their lunch bags, but the time lunch comes round, they've started to thaw and only take a couple of minutes to heat right up. The food comes out just like fresh! I'm really loving the vacume sealer, I've done loads of stuff with it, in fact it just stays out on my counter all the time because I use it pretty much every day.

 

[sassmuffin]

I was looking at those sealers at the end of the growing season. Dh thinks it would be a good investment with the new veggie beds going in. Who am I to argue when he wants to spend money on things I like??? They all stopped last night and then trooped in again about 7am for coffee and brought donuts. Yeah!!!

 

[smiley_face2]

Make sure if you get one Sass, to get the better version rather than the cheap one. The more expensive one has much more power to do the job well.

 

[sassmuffin]

I think I will make a trip to fleet farm this week. I think that is where we saw them.

 

[Mari-Jo]

I am so glad you tried it (and liked it!!). There is a lot, but boy in this weather.. Col has to plow tonight (again) and asked if there was any left at home (not). so I am whipping up a batch so the crew (10) can stop in about 3:30am and have something hot before finishing up.. You just made my day. Thanks!!!!

....your welcome........it was really good! I usually make a beef stew, but used chicken in this one, and hubby just loved it.......said it was a nice change......wonder what he was telling me..........lol........

Oh, I bet the "crew" really appreciated your stew......nothing better then homemade stew, soups, on a cold winters night.

 

[sassmuffin]

They are getting chili tonight.

 

[Randy]

I don't make stew very often at home. In earlier years, I would make stew in deer camp or elk camp. I have a 5-gallon pot that I would use and the stew would provide several meals. I don't have a recipe either, but the list of ingredients include a lot; beef chunks, carrots, tomatoes, green beans, peas, parsnips, corn, garlic, onions, a healthy splash of burgundy, a splash or two of Worcestershire sauce, potatoes, salt and pepper. I started with browning the beef chunks, about 3 pounds of them. I added a couple of cans of each of the canned vegetables, and used a handful of the fresh veggies. I use about 6 medium potatoes, I think and a couple or three parsnips. My German mother-in-law introduced me to parsnips in her German soup. I am forever grateful for that. The parsnips are an often neglected vegetable that reall helps make a good soup/stew.

 

[smiley_face2]

I don't make stew very often at home. In earlier years, I would make stew in deer camp or elk camp. I have a 5-gallon pot that I would use and the stew would provide several meals. I don't have a recipe either, but the list of ingredients include a lot; beef chunks, carrots, tomatoes, green beans, peas, parsnips, corn, garlic, onions, a healthy splash of burgundy, a splash or two of Worcestershire sauce, potatoes, salt and pepper. I started with browning the beef chunks, about 3 pounds of them. I added a couple of cans of each of the canned vegetables, and used a handful of the fresh veggies. I use about 6 medium potatoes, I think and a couple or three parsnips. My German mother-in-law introduced me to parsnips in her German soup. I am forever grateful for that. The parsnips are an often neglected vegetable that reall helps make a good soup/stew.

The stew we had the other night (inspired by reading here of course!!) was a venison (deer) stew. It was the best stew I've ever made (according to the family!) Our son got 3 really nice ones this fall, it's a good thing too, he's been off work now since the very beginning of October, and has 3 little mouths to feed!

 

[Randy]

I always liked to use some deer meat or elk if I had it available for making stew. There is hardly any fat in those two meats, so the stew is not only very good but quite healthful also.

 

[Gloria]

Hubby and I use a good bit of venison and I agree, venison makes a real good stew. The season here for bagging deer is long, from Sept. thru Jan 1st. So we make lots of venison sausage, V-hamburger, as well as roasts, jerky and summer sausage.
I've never had elk. Which is better Randy?

 

[Randy]

I think it is a matter of opinion. Elk is about the middle between beef and venison. It isn't quite as gamey as venison, but like I say, it is a matter of opinion. If you want something that tastes more like beef, then why not use beef. But there is a spot for elk. If you like a bit of the flavor of wild meat, then elk really fills the bill. In reading historical books, I keep getting surprised by finding references to elk in years past. We have two varieties here in Oregon. The Roosevelt Elk is in the coastal areas and the Rocky Mountain Elk is in the eastern part of the state. I used to cook for a bunch of hunters and I would generally be given part of the meat when it was all cut up.

 

[Dale]

....your welcome........it was really good! I usually make a beef stew, but used chicken in this one, and hubby just loved it.......said it was a nice change......wonder what he was telling me..........lol........

Oh, I bet the "crew" really appreciated your stew......nothing better then homemade stew, soups, on a cold winters night.

Mari-Jo anytime we have cold weather or a storm coming I prepare a big pot of stew or soup. One time an ice storm was on the way. Prepared a pot of stew and was opening the door of the oven to remove a fresh baked pan of cornbread and the power went off. It was fun heating the stew in the fire place and roughing it for a day or so. When we are without we learn to appreciate what we have.

 

[Randy]

We can always 'make do' with a camp stove when the power goes off. Our oven is electric though, so we can't use that.