request: stew recipes

[Triple Zero]

when i was in sziget i had several kinds of hungarian and serbian stews .. they were fucking delicious.

i decided that i should try and cook stew myself

i also figured some of you ppl would have interesting stew recipes i can use as a basis for my own experiments.

without even looking up a recipe for stew, this is my current guess as to how it's done (i never even tried or paid attention to any stew recipe, so this may be horribly wrong):

- stew meat, in cubes. this is reasonably priced cheapish meat because the part of the pig (or cow) it's from got loads of gristle (?), but that's okay because that's why you make stew, if you cook the meat slow enough long enough, the gristle will get soft. (at least this is what the molecular gastronomy book said, and the serbian stew confirms)
- stock? i think you need some stock.
- lotsa different vegetables. but the fun thing is you can use strange vegetables in stew, because you just throw them in
- potatoes. i think you also need potatoes.
- spices. i have no idea what kind of, but in this case you can use those spices that you just cook with the stuff and take out later, like rosemary sticks, madame jeanettes and those laurier leaves, or whatever they're called.
- onions are crucial.
- it's got to have something to make it saucy as well, possibly cream, milk or yoghurt

then you put it in a pan, on low fire and wait a few hours

anyone know if this is correct?

are there particular pitfalls to look out for?

does it need to boil all the time? simmer? or just be very hot?

how do you make sure it doesn't burn at the bottom?

can it go wrong? (would be kinda sad, because then you'd end up with a huge pot of failed food)

anybody got experience with stew?

[PeregrineBF]

My mom makes a good stew. It's simple.

Sautee some veggies. Carrots, etc.

Make some broth. Stock works, you can make your own or use some pre-made stuff. Better than bouillon is reasonably good stock and not overly expensive.

Yes. Potatoes.

Spices are good. This depends on how you want the stew to taste. I like a cinnamon stick and cardamon and paprika and chipotle powder and some chopped habanero peppers. But I like spicy food. I'd prefer Bhut Jolokia peppers, but I've not seen any at stores around here.

Onions are good.

Cream/Milk are not really necessary, you can have a soupy stew. If you're lactose intolerant, or cooking for someone who is, or just lazy, use some cornstarch.

Boil water in a pressure cooker. Add veggies. add stew meat. etc. put top on. When the little vent thing starts to jiggle (it's meant to) then turn the heat down until it is just barely jiggling. Leave it for about 20 minutes. Then take it off the heat, run cold water over the cooker, this lets you actually open it without it exploding. Open it. Stew, without the 4 hour wait. Pressure cooker FTW.

Stew is basically pretty easy.

[Triple Zero]

one day i'll get myself a pressure cooker

for now i'll have to do with the 4h wait

[B_M_W]

A regular pot or crock pot works fine too, you just have to cook it longer.

[Suu]

1. Go to the grocery store
2. Pick up some Dinty Moore or Campbell's Beef Stew in a can.
3. Prepare as instructed.

[Sir Squid Diddimus]

German goulash:
the way they make it in Wiesbaden (where I'm from)
it may vary in different regions but this is the way I learned to make it.

1 lb of beef chuck cubes
2 green bell peppers
1 big fat onion (or 2, im a fan of onion)
2 carrots sliced into wheels
2 garlic cloves minced

red wine (one you would drink)
paprika
bay leaf
salt
pepper
flour

Method:
coat beef chunks in flour and paprika and brown in a skillet. Remove then add onion, carrot, pepper and saute till softened. Salt and pepper and garlic go in then deglaze the pan with your red wine and scrape up all the little stuck bits (thats flavor baby). Move all of your ingredients to a big pot or dutch oven (snicker). Add enough water to cover everything, your bay leaf (or two), more paprika and bring it all to a slow boil. Reduce to simmer, cover and cook on low for about a couple hours or until it's thick and the meat is tender. You can add thyme if you like (i do) and in about 2 hours serve this brown hot garbage over cooked egg noodles (the wide ones). It's teh freakin yum!

[Richter]

Slacker stew

1 pot or dutch oven (preffered) w/ 4 cups water or stock, bullion and spices
(Spices= adobo, garlic, tabasco, saffron, or whatever you have around)
turn heat on low-ish
add solid ingredients (lentils, beans)
add hard veggies (potatoes, turnip, carrot, or rice, if you're adding any)
as you go, add softer, faster cooking veggies and some gravy mix (to match any meat you're using, fool)
cook until thickened as desired

Stir every so often to avoid burning / sticking.  Set yourself a timer if you're just kicking around doing other things (10 min. intervals, whatever, it's your house to burn down).
If using meat, brown it int he pan before adding stock, or broil, crop and put at the "softer veggies" stage.

Serve with bread and a sharp cheddar cheese.

Mistakes are still edible. 

[LMNO]

You can make the stock as you make the stew, you just need to add bones.

So:  Cube meat.

Dust meat with flour.

Sear meat in pot, high heat.

Remove meat.

Sautee savory vegetables until soft.

Return meat.

add bones.

add beans (optional)

Add liquid to cover by about an inch, scraping up the brown stuff on the bottom of the pot.

Add herbs.

Barely simmer for several/many hours.  Boiling will not render the gristele/collegen.


To sum up:

GENTLY COOK INGREDIENTS OVER LOW HEAT FOR A LONG TIME IN LIQUID.

[Darth Cupcake]

I LOVE crock pots. They rock my world.

My friend and I have made some fantastic stews with a crock pot. We lightly cook some meat in a frying pan first, lightly sautee some veggies (carrots, red peppers, potatoes, onions, broccoli, asparagus, really just about anything), then toss it in the crock pot along with some beef stock and a little bit of corn starch (thicken it). Lots of minced up garlic, some spices (I like to use herbes de Provence), salt, and pepper. Then we leave it cooking all day. By the time we get home at night, we've got a freakin' tasty stew.

It's good comfort food, and great for rainy days.

[AFK]

Yup.  My wife will get a chicken once in awhile, add some onions and a little thyme, throw it in the crock pot and out comes yummy deliciousness. 

[Triple Zero]

LMNO, the bones, do you need to take them out afterwards or do they sorta dissolve or go soft if you simmer it long enough?

thanks for the advices everybody (and keep em coming!) i'm probably gonna make this stew somewhere this week, and of course i'll provide pics

[LMNO]

Oh.  You'll need to take them out.

[Triple Zero]

okay, figures

[Sir Squid Diddimus]

I also have recipes for Indian Dar lentil soup and an awesome chicken chili if you're interested.

You know..... just throwin it out there.

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

Sjaantze, Harbinger of Distraction and I make yummy stews and have found that with slightly more work, we can turn the yummy stew into Pie!

Lamb Pie, Chicken Pie, Turkey Pie, Goat Pie, Beef Pie, Pork Pie (with apples, raisins and cinnamon and brown sugar)

I'll include the recipes later this evening.