Question about meat in stew...
Wayne Boatwright
I've made it following various recipes and also without following a recipe.
I've used "beef stew" meat from the supermarket and from a butcher shop,
whole sirloin and chuck roasts cut in cubes, both lean and not so lean
meat, and probably other variations. I've cooked it in a pot on the
stove, in a slow cooker, in the oven at both low (250-275 degrees F) and
moderate (350 degrees F), and even in oven-cooking bags.
The meat is always tender... However......it never seems to have that
unctious quality that I've enjoyed when I've eaten it in good restaurants.
There is always a sort of dryness that I don't enjoy, regardless of how
much liquid there is in the pot.
What am I doing wrong? Ingredients, technique? I NEED to know!
TIA
Wayne
Katra
Have you tried pre-browning it in a skillet prior to stewing it?
I also pre-brown/carmelize the onions as well in the skillet after I do
the meat. :-)
It adds a richness like nothing else I've tried.
Hope this helps?
Katra
--
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all owned by cats" -- Asimov
Custom handcrafts, Sterling silver beaded jewelry
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Wayne Boatwright
news:3F6E8294...@fuckspammerscenturytel.net:
>
>
> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>>
>> I really like beef stew, and I've made it countless times over the
>> years. I've made it following various recipes and also without
>> following a recipe. I've used "beef stew" meat from the supermarket
>> and from a butcher shop, whole sirloin and chuck roasts cut in cubes,
>> both lean and not so lean meat, and probably other variations.
>> I've cooked it in a pot on the stove, in a slow cooker, in the oven
>> at both low (250-275 degrees F) and moderate (350 degrees F), and
>> even in oven-cooking bags.
>>
>> The meat is always tender... However......it never seems to have
>> that unctious quality that I've enjoyed when I've eaten it in good
>> restaurants. There is always a sort of dryness that I don't enjoy,
>> regardless of how much liquid there is in the pot.
>>
>> What am I doing wrong? Ingredients, technique? I NEED to know!
>>
>> TIA
>>
>> Wayne
>
> Have you tried pre-browning it in a skillet prior to stewing it?
> I also pre-brown/carmelize the onions as well in the skillet after I
> do the meat. :-)
>
> It adds a richness like nothing else I've tried.
>
> Hope this helps?
> Katra
Thanks for your suggestion, katra. Yes, actually, most of the recipes
I've followed have called for browning the meat first, both plain and
dusted with flour. Unfortunately, in my case, I haven't noticed a
significant difference. I must be doing something else wrong.
I should say, however, that the browning definitely enhances the flavor,
as does browning the onion. I think my problem is more one of texture,
even though the meat is tender.
Wayne
Alex Rast
<Xns93FDDE3E3C62...@204.127.36.1>, w...@SMN.worldnet.att.net
(Wayne Boatwright) wrote :
>I really like beef stew, and I've made it countless times over the
>years. ... However......it never seems to have that
>unctious quality that I've enjoyed when I've eaten it in good
>restaurants. There is always a sort of dryness that I don't enjoy,
>regardless of how much liquid there is in the pot.
>
There are several factors that could be contributing.
The most common reason, by far, is using the wrong cut and/or grade of
meat. A "premium" cut like New York, ribeye, or (god forbid) tenderloin
will yield poor results because it's not got enough strong fibers to yield
the proper texture after cooking. The result is something mushy, similar to
overcooked beans. Meanwhile, most of the lean "cheap" cuts, like round or
sirloin, don't have enough fat and will simply dry out entirely from long
cooking. What you need is a tough, fatty, cheap cut. The royalty of the
stew cuts come from the chuck. Perhaps the best is chuck eye. 7-bone and
top blade are also extremely good. One chuck roast to stay away from is
chuck shoulder, which again isn't really fatty enough, but the 3 I
mentioned are available almost anywhere and are dirt cheap.
However, it does pay to get an expensive grade within the cheap cuts.
Again, it's because a high grade has more internal fat and this leads to a
better texture. USDA Prime is the best, although it's virtually impossible
to get cheap cuts marketed USDA Prime because most people, in the mood to
spend more than average for a cut of meat, are in a splurge frame of mind
and head for a "premium" cut - which in the USA seems to be synonymous with
steak. Thus the chances of finding anything other than ribeye, New York,
and tenderloin in USDA Prime grade, much less in any format other than cut
into steaks, are close to nil. Failing that, USDA Choice is the best you
can hope for and is perfectly adequate.
The second reason is cooking it too hot. For a proper stew, you need very,
very low heat indeed to break down tough collagen fibers instead of
stiffening them. It's these broken-down collagen fibers that create the
texture you desire. But low heat means *low* heat - below boiling. So we're
talking 180F or so. Your stew should barely be simmering, at worst. If it
ever starts to boil or even simmer hard, you need to turn it down
immediately.
The third problem is too much water. Seemingly paradoxically, more water
makes meat *drier* rather than moister. Water draws moisture out of the
meat and into the rest of the water in the pot. Furthermore, it melts fat
and then draws it out. Once you serve it, since the meat is still hot,
evaporation will drive still more moisture out, and the final result will
be quite dry, even if it's really tender. Ideally, the only moisture you
should need should be from your vegetables and the meat itself. You can add
a *small* amount of additional water, but only enough to prevent the
contents from sticking or burning, if there is a risk of this. Use only a
pot large enough to contain the stew, too - don't use a larger stockpot
which will only encourage evaporation and drying. It's actually fat that
makes meat moist, and this is why, as above, you need a fatty, high-grade
piece. Using additional fat in the stew doesn't hurt either, which is why
many stews call for bacon, or a soffrito, or some other initial process
that adds fat.
Using this approach will yield you the results you desire. Be aware that as
a result, it's not an instant process, or even one you can expect to
accomplish in an evening. Expect, at best, edible stew in the evening if
you started it in the early morning.
--
Alex Rast
ad.r...@nwnotlink.NOSPAM.com
(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)
Bob Pastorio
Probably, you're cooking it too long. Try this: buy a sirloin tip
(around $2.00 to 2.25/pound), trim off the fat and any silver skin
(you'll know it when you see it) and cut the whole thing into 1 1/2
inch cubes. Render the fat in a skillet on medium-low heat. Discard
the solids, save the fat for cooking. Toss the meat cubes with
seasoned flour (cover them generously) and brown in some rendered beef
fat you cut off the outside of the sirloin tip. When the meat is all
well-browned, cover with a rich beef stock to about an inch over the
meat and bring to a slow simmer. If you don't have that rich stock, do
this: take the least salty canned stock you can find and use that. Add
about a teaspoon of unflavored gelatin to it as you pour it into the
pot. When the meat has simmered for about an hour, add chunks of
celery, carrots and onion and let them simmer for another hour. Test
for tenderness. When it's very, very close to the right texture, pull
it off the heat. It'll cook a bit more with its residual heat.
That flour that you used up front so generously has conspired to
thicken the liquids to add a bit of succulence. The gelatin adds body
to the liquids and coats the meat with a certain unctuousness. I like
the meats to be done but still cohesive. I'd rather encounter a bit of
resistance to the bite than have it falling apart. That's not
tenderness, it's dismemberment.
The stew is done when the meats are done. Most people think that it
can cook forever as long as there's liquid. I disagree. I've had too
many gaggy-dry stews at other people's homes and in restaurants.
Pastorio
J Quick
"Alex Rast" <ad.r...@nwnotlink.NOSPAM.com> wrote in message
news:93FDF8808adra...@216.168.3.44...
> at Mon, 22 Sep 2003 04:50:51 GMT in
>
> Using this approach will yield you the results you desire. Be aware that
as
> a result, it's not an instant process, or even one you can expect to
> accomplish in an evening. Expect, at best, edible stew in the evening if
> you started it in the early morning.
Ever use a pressure cooker to make stew? I do all the time. Great stew in
less than an hour. The stew meat cooks at 240F for about 45 minutes, with a
tender, moist and flavorful result. Never seen any difference in the
amount of water affecting the texture of the meat, given a reasonable ratio
that one would expect for stew. I prefer a larger proportion of veggies to
meat to stretch the flavor of the meat and to keep it a healthier
nutritional balance than traditional recipes. The starch in potatoes can
work nicely to thicken the stew when a larger amount of water is used in the
recipe.
Wayne Boatwright
news:93FDF8808adra...@216.168.3.44:
Alex, thank you for your very detailed explanation! Certainly, most stew
recipes don't offer such detail. BTW, do you flour the meat first? Do
you brown it? Would the higher heat of browning cause the meat to sieze
and stiffen? Lasttly, do you have a personal favorite beef stew recipe
you'd be willing to share?
Thank you...
Wayne
Wayne Boatwright
news:l7zbb.2481$YO5.2...@news3.news.adelphia.net:
I have a pressure cooker, but have never made stew in it. Certainly
worth a try to see the difference the steam imparts. Thank you!
Wayne
Wayne Boatwright
news:Moxbb.8963$A51....@fe05.atl2.webusenet.com:
All great tips, Bob! Thank you. Your mention of the unflavored gelatin
reminds me of a recipe I've made that called for "minute tapioca", which
I think helped to coat the meat in juices.
Your description "gaggy-dry" reminds me exactly of what often has
happened to the meat in my stews!
Wayne
J Quick
"Wayne Boatwright" <w...@SMN.worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:Xns93FE364F8544...@204.127.36.1...
It's not really the steam that directly makes the difference. The steam
pressure allows the cooking temperature of the food to reach approx. 240F,
so the higher heat cooks it more efficiently and quickly, usually in a
fraction of the normal time. It's the same principle that makes high
altitude cooking a problem: the lower atmospheric pressure causes the water
to boil at a lower temp, causing the food to cook more slowly. Pressure
cookers are particularly useful at high altitudes to reverse the negative
effect of pressure into a positive one, making them popular in Switzerland,
for example.
When cooking stews in a pressure cooker, it's important to add the
vegetables after the meat has been mostly cooked to retain their color,
texture, and flavor. Dice the veggies to approximately the same size, about
3/4" inch or so, to allow them to cook at roughly the same speed, usually
less than 10 minutes at pressure.
J Quick
>
> Alex, thank you for your very detailed explanation! Certainly, most stew
> recipes don't offer such detail. BTW, do you flour the meat first? Do
> you brown it? Would the higher heat of browning cause the meat to sieze
> and stiffen? Lasttly, do you have a personal favorite beef stew recipe
> you'd be willing to share?
>
Browning the meat adds "free" flavor with little additional work. Flour
aids in browning, itself adding flavor when it browns, and its starch helps
to thicken the stew (but usually not enough to rely on it exclusively), just
as with roux. Yes, browning causes the meat to stiffen and get very tough,
but that doesn't matter because you won't be eating it until after it has
cooked long enough to break down the connective tissue that cause this to
occur. While browning isn't necessary, it improves the flavor and color of
the result enough to make it worthwhile. Just don't scorch the flour or
meat.
I should also point out that Alex's method of low and slow cooking for stew
is an excellent technique as well, so my suggestion of using a pressure
cooker is just an alternative approach that gives a good result in a
fraction of the normal time. If I didn't use a pressure cooker, I would use
much the same approach as he described.
Mr. Wizard
> I really like beef stew, and I've made it countless times over the years.
> I've made it following various recipes and also without following a
recipe.
> I've used "beef stew" meat from the supermarket and from a butcher shop,
> whole sirloin and chuck roasts cut in cubes, both lean and not so lean
> meat, and probably other variations. I've cooked it in a pot on the
> stove, in a slow cooker, in the oven at both low (250-275 degrees F) and
> moderate (350 degrees F), and even in oven-cooking bags.
>
> The meat is always tender... However......it never seems to have that
> unctious quality that I've enjoyed when I've eaten it in good restaurants.
>
The meat used in restaurants is sirloin tip. We marinate it in
a beef and vegetable stock made from beef bones roasted
with carrots, onions and celery.
The roasted items are placed in a large stockpot, spiced with
black pepper and covered with water and simmered for an hour.
It is then strained and reduced by 1/3 .
It is for all practical purpose a thin Demi Glace.
Some of the final reduction is thickened with plain gelatin and
spiked with MSG and papain. The majority is used for new stew.*
The mix is placed in a vacuum bag with the cut beef and is
vacuum sealed in portions and put in the fridge for at least a week.
Vacuum sealing forces the liquid into the meat, the gelatin keeps it there.
When it is time to prepare the stew, the beef chunks are coated with
flour and browned in rendered beef fat and lard, then put in the
*reduction that is not made into marinade. This is put in a covered
roaster and oven cooked at 200 degrees for at least four hours.
A vegetable stock is made ahead of time by cooking the living hell
out of all the kitchen vegetable discards (carrot ends and peelings,
celery strings and trimmings, potato skins, lettuce, tomato ends etc.)
This is strained and reduced by 1/4 .
The stew vegetables are added and cooked in the vegetable reduction
till FIRM, about nine minutes. The vegetables will sweat out some water
so it is at this point it is tasted for salt and spiced.
The beef and stock are added at this point and can be served immediately.
It is usually kept in the steamer tray during serving hours.
PENMART01
>The meat is always tender... However......it never seems to have that
>unctious quality that I've enjoyed when I've eaten it in good restaurants.
Unctuous:
1 a : FATTY, OILY b : smooth and greasy in texture or appearance
Why would you want that?!?!? Good restaurants very rarely have stew on their
menus, unfortunately (don't feel bad, they don't know how to prepare a good
stew either, nor would their clientele order stew`243w). Maybe your idea of
fine dining is the local *greazy* spoon, but usually their idea of stew isn't
discernable from Dinty Moore, pretty much the ooze found in in the typical
frozen pot pie.
A good stew means tender and *flavorful*, never greasy... perhaps you need to
choose more appropriate cuts of meat... the mystery meat sold as "stew meat" is
not a good choice. Try a 3' thick 7 bone roast... trim the thick white chunks
of fat away, tie and season well (no flour), brown and braise.... add an entire
head worth of peeled garlic cloves (whole), and lotsa quartered onions, dark
beer is a better liquid than wine. Add carrots, new potatoes, and wild
'shrooms after it cooks a while. The stew is done when the meat begins to
separate into chunks. Skim extraneous fat before thickening gravy. Another
excellent cut for stew, my very favoritest, is short ribs... again, skim fat
before thickening gravy... the last thing you want is "unctuous"... 'specailly
considering all the unctuous/smarmy bastards in this world.
---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
Sheldon
````````````
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."
Jimmy Tango
"Wayne Boatwright" <w...@SMN.worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:Xns93FDDE3E3C62...@204.127.36.1...
You order beef stew in a restaraunt?
Alex Rast
204.127.36.1>, w...@SMN.worldnet.att.net (Wayne Boatwright) wrote :
>ad.r...@nwnotlink.NOSPAM.com (Alex Rast) wrote in
>news:93FDF8808adra...@216.168.3.44:
>
>> at Mon, 22 Sep 2003 04:50:51 GMT in
>> <Xns93FDDE3E3C62...@204.127.36.1>,
>> w...@SMN.worldnet.att.net (Wayne Boatwright) wrote :
>>
>>>I really like beef stew, and I've made it countless times over the
>>>years. ... However......it never seems to have that
>>>unctious quality that I've enjoyed when I've eaten it in good
>>>restaurants. There is always a sort of dryness that I don't enjoy,
>>>regardless of how much liquid there is in the pot.
>>>
>>
>> There are several factors that could be contributing.
>>
>> The most common reason, by far, is using the wrong cut and/or grade of
>> meat. ...
>>
>> The second reason is cooking it too hot. ...
>>
>> The third problem is too much water. ...
>>
>> ... Be aware
>> that ... it's not an instant process, ...
>Alex, thank you for your very detailed explanation! Certainly, most stew
>recipes don't offer such detail. BTW, do you flour the meat first? Do
>you brown it?
I brown first and don't flour.
> Would the higher heat of browning cause the meat to sieze
>and stiffen?
It can, if you allow it to remain at high heat for a long time. Therefore,
the secret is to brown and then immediately get your heat down. This is a
bit tricky, because a good stew pot should retain heat well. Here's how you
accomplish it. Cut up your vegetables and leave them in a bowl at the back
of the refrigerator. Then cut up the meat. Have 2 burners heated, one on
medium-high, one on very low. You get your stockpot up to heat with a
little fat. Then you brown the meat in it, stirring all the time. As soon
as it's browned on all sides, shift the pot to the other burner and dump
all the vegetables from the bowl in the refrigerator into the pot, stirring
them in quickly. Presto: instant cooling! The large mass of cold vegetables
instantly cools down the mixture, and as long as you stirred well, the meat
now is surrounded with cool vegetables so its cooking is quickly arrested.
Then you cover the pot and walk away.
Lasttly, do you have a personal favorite beef stew recipe
>you'd be willing to share?
Sure. This one is very easy and very good. All measures are very
approximate, which really doesn't matter all that much - simply use your
judgement.
Beef Stew with Suet Dumplings
For the stew:
2 lbs beef chuck eye
2 extra-large carrots (about 3/4 to 1 lb each. If you can't get them this
big, simply use more carrots.)
8 stalks celery
1 lb crimini mushrooms
1 large sweet yellow onion
1 bay leaf
5 large sprigs thyme
2 large sprigs parsley
Beef stock, as necessary (see recipe below)
A pinch of salt, if necessary
1 oz beef fat such as trimmings, or fat saved from a roast
For the dumplings:
1 cup pastry flour
2 oz suet
1/4 cup mild beef stock
Make the stew: Cut up carrots, celery, and mushrooms into medium-sized
chunks. Mix with the thyme and bay leaf and set in the refrigerator. Cut up
the beef into cubes about 1 1/2" on a side. Mince
Alex Rast
was finished typing it (How can programmers design a program such that a
committing keystroke can be inadvertently typed, simply by having your
hands in a specific position? BAD program design). So anyway, I'll complete
the recipe.
at Mon, 22 Sep 2003 23:31:46 GMT in
<93FEAE189adra...@216.168.3.44>,
ad.r...@nwnotlink.NOSPAM.com (Alex Rast) wrote :
For the stew:
For the dumplings:
1/4 cup cold, mild beef stock
Make the stew: Cut up carrots, celery, and mushrooms into medium-sized
chunks. Mix with the thyme and bay leaf and set in the refrigerator. Cut
up the beef into cubes about 1 1/2" on a side. Mince the onion finely. Heat
up 2 burners, one to low, one to medium-high. Set a heavy pot (a cast iron
stockpot is ideal) on the hotter burner and add the beef fat. Once it's
hot, stir in the onions and cook until they yellow and soften. Add the
meat, stirring constantly, until the meat is just browned on all sides.
Immediately transfer to the other burner and add the vegetables from the
refrigerator. Cover and leave alone for at least 2 hours. After about 2
hours, check how much fluid there is in the pot. If it seems very minimal
(i.e. everything is still pretty dry) add a small amount of stock - 1/2 cup
should do. It's best if the stock is fairly rich. After another hour or so,
taste the fluid. If it tastes a little bland, add a pinch of salt. If it
tastes lively, leave it as is with no salt. Recover and allow to cook by
slow simmering, preferably for a minimum of 8 total hours.
At this point, make the dumplings: Rub the suet gently into the flour. Mix
in the *cold* stock (it should be mild, so if you have the rich beef stock
for the stew, dilute it about 2 or 3 to 1) and quickly stir into a pasty-
crumbly consistency. The idea is to make it just a bit wetter than a good
pie dough. Roll into balls about 1" across (don't be tempted to make them
much bigger - they will swell) Now, check the fluid level in the stew. If
it's pretty good, simply dump the dumplings right into the stew, along with
the parsley. If it's low (especially if it's below the level of the solid
pieces) or very, very thick, bring more (mild) stock to a simmer. Then put
the dumplings in the simmering stock, while adding the parsley to the stew.
Either way, cook for another 30 minutes or so, enough for the dumplings to
swell completely. Serve. Serves 8 (or fewer people for more days). The stew
will continue to improve on the second and even the third day. Be sure to
make the dumplings fresh for each day, though.
Beef stock
2-3 lbs beef shank
2 lbs beef oxtails
2 carrots
5 stalks celery
1 bay leaf
5 sprigs thyme
4 cups, approx, water
Cut up everything into stew-sized chunks. Using the same technique as for
the stew, quickly brown the oxtails while leaving everything else in the
refrigerator. Then dump everything else in, using enough water to cover but
not much more. Simmer on low heat, for *at least* 24 hours, and 48 is
better. It should be very dark and rich by this time. The oxtails should be
virtually dissolved. Strain the stock and discard all solids (if they have
any taste remaining in them you haven't simmered it long enough. Cool the
stock until all the fat congeals. Skim off the fat and then bring the stock
back to a simmer. Now transfer into sealable jars and put immediately in
the refrigerator. As it cools the jars should seal, and you will have stock
for whenever you need it. It never hurts to simmer trimmings, bones, etc.
that you have left over at a later date in the stock - just open the jar
and simmer what you have in the stock. When the stock is good, it will be
gelatinous when cold.
Wayne Boatwright
news:20030922110039...@mb-m05.aol.com:
> Wayne Boatwright <w...@SMN.worldnet.att.net> writes:
>
>>The meat is always tender... However......it never seems to have that
>>unctious quality that I've enjoyed when I've eaten it in good
>>restaurants.
>
> Unctuous:
> 1 a : FATTY, OILY b : smooth and greasy in texture or appearance
Well, Shelly, perhaps that wasn't the best descriptive word I could have
used, but I think you probably know that I didn't mean "greasy". Right
or wrong, I have seen in print and heard in conversation the word
"unctuous" used in a postive way regarding food.
>
> Why would you want that?!?!? Good restaurants very rarely have stew
> on their menus, unfortunately (don't feel bad, they don't know how to
> prepare a good stew either, nor would their clientele order
> stew`243w). Maybe your idea of fine dining is the local *greazy*
> spoon, but usually their idea of stew isn't discernable from Dinty
> Moore, pretty much the ooze found in in the typical frozen pot pie.
Perhaps in the East this isn't common, but locally there are several
restaurants of well above-average quality that specialize in serving
somewhat "homey" style meals made with top quality ingredients. These
restaurants could hardly be called "greasy spoons"...we have our fair
share of those, too.
> A good stew means tender and *flavorful*, never greasy... perhaps you
> need to choose more appropriate cuts of meat... the mystery meat sold
> as "stew meat" is not a good choice. Try a 3' thick 7 bone roast...
> trim the thick white chunks of fat away, tie and season well (no
> flour), brown and braise.... add an entire head worth of peeled garlic
> cloves (whole), and lotsa quartered onions, dark beer is a better
> liquid than wine. Add carrots, new potatoes, and wild 'shrooms after
> it cooks a while. The stew is done when the meat begins to separate
> into chunks. Skim extraneous fat before thickening gravy. Another
> excellent cut for stew, my very favoritest, is short ribs... again,
> skim fat before thickening gravy... the last thing you want is
> "unctuous"... 'specailly considering all the unctuous/smarmy bastards
> in this world.
Your recipe sounds delicious! I'll definitely have to try your way of
doing a stew.
Regards,
Wayne
Wayne Boatwright
news:BUHbb.2577$gR1....@newsread4.news.pas.earthlink.net:
When it's good, yes...and it's frequently good!
Wayne
Wayne Boatwright
Thank you, Alex! This will be on the dinner table this weekend when I
have time to be nearby. Oh, and the stock recipe looks the best of those
I've seen...a must try!
Wayne
Wayne Boatwright
J,
Thanks for all your comments, suggestions, and directions. Now I've got
to try both Alex's and your methods! I'm intrigued with a good stew
coming out of a pressure cooker.
Thanks again,
Wayne
Wayne Boatwright
news:3f6f...@giga.realtime.net:
This is a very intriguing preparation! I'm not sure I could manage that
at home, but I would sure like to try. Thanks for the detailed
instructions!
Wayne
J Quick
>
>
> J,
>
> Thanks for all your comments, suggestions, and directions. Now I've got
> to try both Alex's and your methods! I'm intrigued with a good stew
> coming out of a pressure cooker.
>
Best wishes for a good stew!
Dimitri
Other than the browning try adding some:
1. MSG (many restaurant products contain "flavor enhensers")
2. Some worchestershire sauce
3. Some Soy sauce.
Here is a Sysco recipe:
. Savory Beef Stew
. 9 lbs. SYSCO Imperial beef short ribs, boned, in 2-inch cubes
. 1/2 cup SYSCO Classic vegetable oil
. 2-1/2 tbsp. SYSCO Classic minced garlic
. 1 cup SYSCO Classic all-purpose flour
. 1 gal. SYSCO Classic beef broth
. 1-1/2 qts. dark ale
. 1 oz. SYSCO Imperial thyme leaves
. 8 SYSCO Imperial bay leaves
. 6 lbs. SYSCO Imperial red potatoes, 1-inch chunks
. 3 lbs. SYSCO Imperial fresh peeled carrots, 1-inch chunks
. 2 lbs., 8 oz. SYSCO Natural turnips, peeled 1-inch chunks
. 1 lb., 8 oz. SYSCO Natural peeled pearl onions
. 1 lb. SYSCO Imperial frozen cut green beans
. 1/2 cup cold water
. 6 tbsp. SYSCO Classic cornstarch
. 1 tbsp. SYSCO Imperial salt
. 2 tsp. SYSCO Imperial ground black pepper
. 24 SYSCO Classic 3-inch round buttermilk biscuits, baked, split
Preparation
1. Brown beef in hot oil in large braising pan. Add garlic; cook and stir
30 seconds. Add flour; cook and stir 3 minutes. Add broth, ale, herbs; bring
to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 1 hr.
2. Add vegetables; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 30 to 45
minutes or until beef and vegetables are tender.
3. Combine water and cornstarch; stir into stew. Cook and stir about 5
minutes or until sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper. Keep hot.
4. For each serving, cut 1 biscuit in half horizontally; place bottom half
in broad soup bowl. Ladle 2 cups stew into bowl; top with biscuit top.
Dimitri
Wayne Boatwright
news:W5_bb.5922$Y27....@newssvr33.news.prodigy.com:
A good looking recipe, Dimitri! That makes a LOT of stew... Do you
think it might be a good freezer candidate or should I plan on reducing
the proportions?
Thank you,
Wayne
Dimitri
"Wayne Boatwright" <w...@SMN.worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
<snip>
Just reduce the proportions unless you're feeding an army.
9 pounds of short ribs is a lot of meat. That should feed or serve from 18
to 24 people (servings), maybe more.
The important thing here is more the ratio of ingredients and the
methodology. In this case the color for the stew comes from a ale and the
browning - many people would add some tomato sauce to the mix because tomato
sauce when cooked for extended periods add a nice rich brown color.
Dimitri
blake murphy
i can't point to any scientific reason why this would be so, but i
like to cut the beef in a 3/4 inch dice and cover it with vermouth for
half an hour or so. this does draw out blood, but it ends up in the
same place:
murph's chinese-irish stew (heavily adapted from *florence lin's
chinese one-dish meals*)
1 pound round or chuck steak in 1/2-3/4 inch dice
2 carrots, peeled and cut in half-inch pieces
1 fairly large russet potato, peeled and cut in 1/2-3/4 inch dice
handful of frozen pearl onions (optional)
2 scallions cut into two-inch sections or 2 tsp. minced dried onion (i
use the dried)
4 thin slices ginger root (about the size of a u.s. quarter)
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbl soy sauce, or a mixture of soy/kung pao/teriaki
8 oz. beer (or a pocket rocket - pony bottle of rolling rock)
1 dried red hot pepper
3 tbl ketchup
dry vermouth to cover meat
oil to saute
* * * * * *
place meat chunks in bowl; pour over vermouth to cover and let
marinate
for at least 30 minutes. heat frying pan til hot. add oil and still
on high heat, brown the meat pieces. add beer, soy, sugar, salt,
ginger root, hot pepper and ketchup. reduce heat and simmer, covered,
for approx. two hours, til meat is tender. add potato. after 15
minutes, add pearl onions, if using, and mix into the stew, and then
add carrots, without mixing in. increase heat to medium-low and cook
covered an additional 15 minutes. remove red pepper and ginger slices
before serving, or at least warn people.
* * * * * *
(this was in the r.f.c. cookbook, but what the hell, i so few chances
to plagiarize myself.)
i would like to hear from some scientific-type cooks whether this is
sound in theory as well as in practice.
your pal,
blake
Wayne Boatwright
news:gda4nv462s7fj50sc...@4ax.com:
Thanks, Blake. Nice twist, and one that I want to try!
Wayne
Wayne Boatwright
news:fXhcb.8043$uB4....@newssvr31.news.prodigy.com:
>> A good looking recipe, Dimitri! That makes a LOT of stew... Do you
>> think it might be a good freezer candidate or should I plan on
>> reducing the proportions?
>>
>> Thank you,
>> Wayne
>
> Just reduce the proportions unless you're feeding an army.
>
> 9 pounds of short ribs is a lot of meat. That should feed or serve
> from 18 to 24 people (servings), maybe more.
>
> The important thing here is more the ratio of ingredients and the
> methodology. In this case the color for the stew comes from a ale and
> the browning - many people would add some tomato sauce to the mix
> because tomato sauce when cooked for extended periods add a nice rich
> brown color.
>
> Dimitri
Yes, I'd definitely need to cut it down, since we're just a family of
two.
I love shortribs, but never considered using them in stew before. That
part of what makes this recipe sound so good!
Wayne