Stew recipes

[grtrx]

Originally Posted by BigO

I'll post a beef burgundy stew that works with chicken too (boef bourgogne and coq au vin) tomorrow. Also a really easy and tasty chicken with white wine and tarragon. Easy and really good.

"Peasant food," as it was called in the "old country," is comfort food at its finest. I'd share my recipe for cassoulet, but getting duck confit and a big hunk of pork skin might put it out of the reasonably priced and easy category. When you get down to it, it's a bean casserole with ingredients that were plentiful 200 years ago and considered food for the poor.

Like flap steak, it's pretender flank steak for fajitas, chicken wings, ribs, brisket and dark meat chicken...what was food made of what nobody wanted is now as trendy as it was ever tasty.

There's a whole series of books waiting to be written (and has probably already be done and I haven't run across it yet) about how the evolution of food has influenced the outcomes of history.



Just an observation.

Spot on (so was the rest but I am sticking to recipes).

You might invest in the New York Times COoking app which has thousands of recipes in a searchable format.

I would tend towards cheap tough cuts for a stew, browned off, then brown carrors, then onions, then garlic in the left behind fat and goodness in the pan you browned the beef (or pork or lamb) in. Add oil if needed. Garlic last as garlic gets bitter if over browned or burned. Then deglaze the pan, add everything back in and add your braising liquid... wine, water, stock (beef stock with beef can get really intense)... maybe a shot of vermouth or cognac (cheap stuff). The low and slow. Near the end of cooking you can remove the meat, set it aside to rest then strain out the sauce and toss the veggies, and add back in fresh chopped veggies in order of time to cook (carrot, then onion then potatoes) . Season, etc. A fresh glug of wine or stock right at end for brightness.

[BigO]

A little citrus zest or juice at the end works too.

The Maillard reaction is the absolute foundation of cuisine, IMO.

[BigO]

Jeff covered the beef recipe. Better than I could have. Same recipe can use chicken instead of beef.

Chicken with white wine and tarragon is as simple as it sounds. The only ingredients not listed are garlic powder, salt, and pepper. The wine you use is important to this dish. I have always used Schwartze Catse (Black Cat) with this recipe. A chardonnay or pinot or sauvignon don't really work. A gewurtzaminer (spelling?), perhaps. Reisling is preferred. If you use fresh tarragon, use it liberally. If using dried, go easy on it. The dried herb is about 5x as strong as fresh.

[grtrx]

Originally Posted by BigO

A little citrus zest or juice at the end works too.

The Maillard reaction is the absolute foundation of cuisine, IMO.

sherry vinegar can give you brightness and some added depth

[BigO]

I hadn't thought of it, but you're right.

[N8DCJ]

OK, now I have a couple of ideas to play around with stew...

Thanks BigO and GR...

I hope others chime in!!!

I am always looking for interesting ideas...

Dan

[grtrx]

Originally Posted by N8DCJ

OK, now I have a couple of ideas to play around with stew...

Thanks BigO and GR...

I hope others chime in!!!

I am always looking for interesting ideas...

Dan

just play around with things, play with your food, see what happens. if you learn something then it isn't a failure.

if you want autumnal, try short ribs or oxtails. Both have amazing flavor, love long slow cooking, are better after an overnight in the fridge, and both have gotten more expensive as people realized how damn tasty they are.

[BigO]

And it's affordable, unlike veal or lamb shanks. I love Osso Bucco, but I am not spending $16/lb for what is really just shin bones and collagen. Very little meat.

[N8DCJ]

GR

Shorts ribs are something I have wanted to try in both stew and chili...
My method of shorts, well not mine, but someone from TSR, the site I met BigO and Jeep...

On the smoker in the smoke for 3 hours, then foil, and back on for 3-4 more hours...

I chickened out and pulled them at 5 the first time, when I did it again I went full 7 hours, by then all the fat melts, much better, might do that and give it a shot in stew/chili

Dam

[grtrx]

short ribs can be cooked in ways other than those involving smoke and low heat. Koreans cook them over high heat, but they also prep them differently.

there are many recipes to those who seek them - sometimes I use Google.