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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2010 7:19:31 GMT
Using the search function, I saw that stews of various types are very regularly mentioned on all sorts of threads, but apparently we have not covered the subject of stews in general.
Now that the northern hemisphere is approaching the colder season, I'm pretty sure that stews are going to be on the menu more often, but there is always that tricky detail of how much should you make? Frankly, I have never made a stew for just one meal, but I can see that in a bigger family, the whole pot could disappear in one sitting.
Your views on the subject would be appreciated, and then we can get down to talking about the best stews that we know -- and what qualifies as a stew in the first place.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Sept 23, 2010 7:52:23 GMT
A definition: Stew—chunks of meat plus vegetables and seasonings, slowly cooked and finishing as chunkier than a soup but less solid than a pot roast. I'll admit all veg concoctions as stews, but a ratatouille would not qualify by a very hearty veg concoction plus lots of broth might. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stew |
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Post by mickthecactus on Sept 23, 2010 11:06:54 GMT
I think bigger stews are easier to cook than small stews. Although there are only 2 of us I often cook for 6.
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Post by lagatta on Sept 23, 2010 13:12:59 GMT
Yep, I made a stew recently with the meat from one little stewing hen and a small tin of black beans, as well as some diced ham thrown in at the end, and with all the vegetables it made quite a lot. I've almost finished it now, by inviting a couple of friends over (it was very tasty). Of course to invite friends I had to buy and make extras that cost a more than the original stew, which was very cheap.
I can see that this subject is in "on the menu" but can easily veer into the recipes section. What types and cuts of meats do you like in your stews? What vegetables? Do you like legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas etc) in your meat stews or not?
I also have a little book "Soupes de poisson", and many of the so-called fish soups are actually stews. Moreover, the meat-and-vegetable component of many couscous preparations is also a stew. The wiki article includes chile (chili? chilli?) amongst the stew family. Cripes, I could waste the whole flipping day looking at all those stews.
Don Cuevas, this was strange in the wiki article: "meat, especially tougher meats suitable for slow-cooking, such as beef". There are meats from tough to fork-tender from your typical bovine carcass.
I usually serve stews in an "assiette creuse", similar to a soupe plate. Idem pasta. I'll definitely be making some stew this week.
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Post by betsie on Sept 23, 2010 13:47:41 GMT
Good quality beef cuts are not suitable for stewing: they go dry. I use cheap stewing cuts with some fat on them, which remain moist and almost fall apart after long cooking.
I never put any other ingredients in beef stew, except loads of chopped onions, which melt and thicken the gravy.
I put vegetables, beans, potatoes etc., in chicken stew, near the end of the cooking period.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2010 14:04:14 GMT
Boeuf bourgignon is perhaps the most famous stew in France, followed by potée lorraine and a variety of other cabbage-based stews, but I consider two other famous dishes eaten in France to be stews as well:
-- bouillabaisse, which has far too much content to be considered a soup by me, particularly since it is a main dish, another sure sign that it is not "just" a soup.
-- couscous, which is the generic name for the North African stew ladled onto a bed of steamed semolina. Couscous is the second most popular dish in France, well ahead of things like boeuf bourgignon. However, even though the various meats (mutton, beef, chicken), except for grilled merguez sausage, are stewed along with the vegetables, they are generally served on the side to be eaten with a knife and fork.
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Post by lagatta on Sept 23, 2010 14:58:50 GMT
What is the most popular, roast or rôtisserie chicken?
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 23, 2010 15:19:00 GMT
In her "Cuisines of Mexico" (1972), Diana Kennedy has a section called "hearty soup-stews". It always made me wonder why there isn't an official, common word for such dishes, especially since they're so common in every cuisine. Bouillabaisse would definitely come under that umbrella, as would many other soups or stews in which the liquid/solid ratio or amount of thickening blur the line between soup and stew.
To me, stews are wet -- wet enough to be served in soup plates. Otherwise, it's just stewed stuff served on a plate with some gravy.
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Post by betsie on Sept 23, 2010 15:20:31 GMT
Roast chicken is a bit off topic, but here goes: I love a simple roast chicken, roasted brown and crispy but moist and tender inside at 170C for not more than 50-60 minutes. Just a knob of butter, salt and pepper inside and the outside rubbed with butter.
I also love tarragon chicken, cooked the same way, but with a twig of fresh tarragon inside the bird and a cream tarragon sauce.
Another favourite of mine is the lemon chicken of the Middle-East, braised in lemon juice, apricots and saffron and served in a broad soup dish with French bread to dip in the juices.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 23, 2010 15:22:47 GMT
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Post by betsie on Sept 23, 2010 15:29:26 GMT
In her "Cuisines of Mexico" (1972), Diana Kennedy has a section called "hearty soup-stews". It always made me wonder why there isn't an official, common word for such dishes, especially since they're so common in every cuisine. Bouillabaisse would definitely come under that umbrella, as would many other soups or stews in which the liquid/solid ratio or amount of thickening blur the line between soup and stew. To me, stews are wet -- wet enough to be served in soup plates. Otherwise, it's just stewed stuff served on a plate with some gravy. The Germans have a name for that kind of soup: eintopf. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2010 16:48:10 GMT
What is the most popular, roast or rôtisserie chicken? #1 in France is blanquette de veau. |
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Post by lagatta on Sept 23, 2010 17:59:41 GMT
I've rarely been served blanquette de veau in people's homes in France. Perhaps once. I thought it was no longer as popular as in years past.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2010 20:54:21 GMT
It is really a very rural dish.
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Post by Jazz on Sept 23, 2010 22:39:17 GMT
This thread is making me so hungry. The temperature dropped about 15 degrees in the last hour and it’s grey, dismal and drizzling. Perfect for a stew! I live alone but usually make a stew (or a soup) for about 10 people. The smells as it cooks slowly for hours are wonderful and I feel a warm sense of well being. Interesting what Betsie said about using the cheaper, fattier cuts of beef as the better cuts will dry out. I’m looking forward to your special recipes. Two in particular I would love are great recipes for bouillabaisse and oxtail stew.
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Post by lagatta on Sept 23, 2010 23:18:33 GMT
Lamb necks are also yummy.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2010 5:15:33 GMT
One thing I like about stews is having an excuse to use bay leaves.
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Post by betsie on Sept 24, 2010 8:19:20 GMT
Lamb necks are also yummy. Indeed. So is goat's meat, tastes just like lamb but has to be stewed because it's never tender enough for frying or roasting. I buy it at the Turkish Butcher's. |
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Post by Don Cuevas on Sept 24, 2010 9:18:37 GMT
Birria: is it a stew? What about menudo? Pozole is definitely a stew.
Mole de olla is a very hearty beef and vegetable soup, but I wouldn't call it a stew. (Churipo, the Michoacán version, is nearly identical.)
Carbonnades a la Flamande (beef braised in beer) is a stew.
Texas chili (coarsely diced or ground beef, no beans, no tomato); y/n?
Cocido Español/Madrileño/Fabada Asturiana: soups or stews?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2010 9:58:00 GMT
When I first started the subject, I was thinking that to me chili is most definitely a stew, but for some reason nobody ever refers to it as such.
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Post by tod2 on Sept 24, 2010 12:54:54 GMT
Jazz this is for you -
Remember, no matter what the recipe says don't be afraid to put your own slant on things .
When I make this dish I usually use two oxtails. It's great re-heated for another meal.
OXTAIL STEW
3.5kg Oxtail
125ml plain cake flour seasoned with salt & fresh ground black pepper
60ml Olive oil
1kg red onions
5 fresh bay leaves - dry will do
10 Juniper berries (I substitute a long piece fresh orange rind)
6 cloves garlic crushed
750ml good hearty red wine
500ml beef stock
2 cans butter beans
6 large carrots chopped roughly (these can be ommitted and served with the peas seprately)
500gr Peas ( served seprately)
Preheat oven 180C (350F - Gas Mark 4) Roll each oxtail joint in seasoned flour - Heat oil in a pan and braise each of the pieces in batches till brown and transfer to casserole dish.
Heat a little more oil in the pan and saute onions, bay leaves, juniper berries ( orange peel)& garlic.
Add red wine and season. Pour over meat and add stock. (I also like to add a can of chopped Italian tomatoes now).
The meat must be covered by liquid. Put in oven and lower heat to 160C for 5-6hrs. A slow cooker works well but I give it nearly 7-8hrs.
Add the butter beans during the last 2-3hr stage.
I also cheat a little on the flavour by adding less seasoning and substituting a sachet of brown onion soup or similar.
Check the liquid level every now and again so that at the end of cooking time the meat should in enough gravy but not doing the breast-stroke.
Serve when meat is falling off the bone accompanied by green peas and mashed potato.
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Post by tod2 on Sept 24, 2010 13:08:24 GMT
Oops! I forgot the parsley! I use a whole bunch roughly chopped. Some in the stew and some to sprinkle over just before serving.
I've also been known to add things like a couple of sprigs (4-5inches long )of fresh rosemary during cooking!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2010 13:21:13 GMT
Hah, I have three containers of oxtail meat in the freezer from my last extravaganza. Excellent to serve with noodles or various vegetables at a later date.
That is a lot of food, tod2!
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Post by lagatta on Sept 24, 2010 13:31:57 GMT
Yes, two oxtails is a huge amount, despite the high ratio of bone and gristle.
Betsie, I also like goat, and commented about the goat curry I made on one of the food boards (this one or the recipe board). Shouldn't actual recipes be on the recipe board?
Goat meat takes prolonged cooking at a very low heat.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2010 13:39:29 GMT
Shouldn't actual recipes be on the recipe board? I am quite confident that there will be a recipe thread for stews quite soon, at which time tod's excellent recipe can be copied there. All we need is a stew expert to start one...  |
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Post by Jazz on Sept 24, 2010 13:39:53 GMT
Thanks Tod! will try this soon.
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Post by tod2 on Sept 24, 2010 13:49:54 GMT
Yes you are right - it is a lot but this recipe comes from a book called "The Farm Kitchen" so I guess it fed quite a few. I make a large quantity because it takes the same power to cook 2/3 tails as it does for 1!
Our oxtails come differently from different butcher shops. The best is from Woolworths who trim away most of the exterior fat, clean the pieces scrupulously (some butchers pack it with cattle hair still sticking) and of course all cut up ready for the pot. I have never bought an oxtail in one piece.
The oxtails can also be soaked in the red wine for 24hrs before starting the cooking process. A friend of mine flames the pieces in brandy before putting in the casserole dish, then deglazes pan with some stock.
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Post by imec on Sept 24, 2010 13:50:04 GMT
One small consolation to the approach of our long, cold, difficult winter, is the opportunity to get the cast iron casseroles out and begin filling the freezer with stews and other dishes that seem to work better for the winter months. Beef stew is always on hand but also chicken stew, pork stew and plenty of other dishes such as Holubchi, various curries, chili etc.
In an issue of Cooks Illustrated sometime in the last year, Beef stew was addressed. One technique they discovered in their test kitchen was to improve the "beefy" flavour through the addition of a couple of anchovies - I tried this and was duly impressed.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2010 13:56:47 GMT
Yes, that is really weird how certain completely different items can completely enhance the taste of certain things -- but it's always hard to believe the first time.
I wonder who the first person was who accidentally dropped an anchovy in their beef stew and didn't dare admit it. (Or maybe they thought they were sabotaging somebody else's stew?)
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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2010 15:16:24 GMT
I must pass this on to my husband,about the addition of the anchovy. Curious...(but,both love anchovies so...)
And yes,an excuse to go out to the garden and harvest fresh bay leaves,thyme...
At the first hint of cool weather T. is chomping at the bit to get in the kitchen and start with stew like meals,which we stretch out to heat up for days. Each day,more savoury than the previous...
I love coming home and smelling that red wine,herb laden broth,browning of the meat, aroma wafting out.
My all time favorite,is a Zinfandel of Beef from Julia Child's book,The Way to Cook.
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