What's in your stew?

[Everything Mac]

Hi everyone,

Nothing like a good stew for me. I love throwing everything together with some beer/wine/cider.

What goes in you stew?

One of my favourites:

Rabbit
carrots
parsnips
onion
celery (some times)
pint of good cider

seasoning
some spices

lovely stuff!

Andy

[The Big Lebowski]

I did a take on steak and kidney pie a few weeks ago...

28 day beef cooked in double chocolate ale. Wild onions, bay, carrot, celery, poached kidneys, st george mushrooms and a handfull of small sea beet...
Then instead of a pie crust I made some ramson, chorizo and saffron dumplings to fill the top. washed down with a LBV port.

'Twas rather nice, If I do say do

[Man of Tanith]

standard stew
beef.
casserole veg-parsnip, onion,celery,carrots,sweet potato,
tin of beans
tin of chopped tomato's
mixed herbs, tobasco, spoon's worth of marmite, worchestershire sauce,
anything else i get hold of

bubble up stew for camping
tin of stewing steak
pouch of soupful soup
tin of new potato's
tin of beans
salt pepper and herbs
serve with fried chorizo and bannock cooked in the chorizo oil

[shaggystu]

I did a take on steak and kidney pie a few weeks ago...

28 day beef cooked in double chocolate ale. Wild onions, bay, carrot, celery, poached kidneys, st george mushrooms and a handfull of small sea beet...
Then instead of a pie crust I made some ramson, chorizo and saffron dumplings to fill the top. washed down with a LBV port.

'Twas rather nice, If I do say do

gout on a plate there mate, well done!

[The Big Lebowski]

Well, you have to deprive yourself now and then LoL.... Mostly monday to friday.

[wildrover]

I did a take on steak and kidney pie a few weeks ago...

28 day beef cooked in double chocolate ale. Wild onions, bay, carrot, celery, poached kidneys, st george mushrooms and a handfull of small sea beet...
Then instead of a pie crust I made some ramson, chorizo and saffron dumplings to fill the top. washed down with a LBV port.

'Twas rather nice, If I do say do

Oooh... sounds good ('cept for the kidneys,sorry!)
Washed down with port?... Genius!

Chris

[Miyagi]

Try adding the chopped up tops of cleavers (sticky willies) and a whole bay leaf or two to your soups or stews, makes a great difference.

My family have been doing this for years and as a volunteer Chef for the past two years on a farm have done this to every veg soup. Chop and dry young cleavers for future use and mix with dried herbs to use in soups, stews, bolognese etc..

Oh well, the secret's out now...

Liam

[Man of Tanith]

i'll give that a go thanks for the tip

[British Red]

I did a take on steak and kidney pie a few weeks ago...

28 day beef cooked in double chocolate ale. Wild onions, bay, carrot, celery, poached kidneys, st george mushrooms and a handfull of small sea beet...
Then instead of a pie crust I made some ramson, chorizo and saffron dumplings to fill the top. washed down with a LBV port.

'Twas rather nice, If I do say do

You had me at "dumplings" but I too will pick out the awful (offal)

[Everything Mac]

Sounds like a nice manly stew Lebowski!

I rather like offal myself.

Andy

[Samon]

I make a stew every week and like mine with lots of pearl barely and lentils. I chop up a few red onions, spuds, parsnips, carrots, add a bowl full of mixed barely, lentils, and dried beans with either home made chicken stock or cubes. I like chicken thighs in my stew, thrown in whole, or big british sausages with lots of pepper. I like rosemary, marjoram and bay leaves with pepepr and salt for seasoning. I love dumplings but adding them to the stew often makes it overly thick so I'll cook them prior to adding them to the main pot. (my dumplings are just flour, butter and water with seasoning and are perfect!)

I slow cook my stews for atleast 12 hours, so all the yummy goodness is soft and melt in the mouth, specially the chicken! it just falls off the bone from its own weight!

I cook/make all my daughters food too and refuse to give her sweet nasty jared stuff so she eats everything we do. The first real food she ate was a lovely rabbit stew with dumplings!

My freezer is always full of chicken bones for stock and dozens of frozen stew portions!

[Imagedude]

Obviously being a Scouser I have Scouse, not stew.


Pound of Stewing Steak
A Large Onion
1lb of Carrots
5lb of Potatoes
2 Oxo Cubes
2 Teaspoons of Vegatable Oil
Worcester Sauce
Salt and Pepper
Water

Serve with pickled beetroot or pickled red cabbage and crusty bread.

[British Red]

my dumplings are just flour, butter and water with seasoning

Nope, that's not a dumpling. It just has to be made with suet. So my mum says and she still scares the willies out of me!

[Samon]

Nope, that's not a dumpling. It just has to be made with suet. So my mum says and she still scares the willies out of me!

dough balls then? either way, they are what we always called 'dumplings' and were cheap enough for us all to eat happily when I was young. what is your mothers dumpling recipe? (if you can divulge that sort of secret thing of course )

[Urban X]

Billy basic suet dumplings are 1/3 shredded suet, 2/3 self raising flour, pinch salt, white pepper, just enough water to bring to a dough, try not to handle too much or the mix will compress and not fluff as much when cooked, I mix with a fork and then just enough with hands to form the balls. (Nice with a bit of grated horseradish mixed in with a beef stew).


Si

[Man of Tanith]

i usually add milk to my dumplings (suggestion from my granddad he's 90 so i reckon he knows what he is talking about with such suggestions) i have been known to add Stilton to the dumplings which gives an interesting flavour especially if you add a drop of port to the stew

[TimD]

Mmmmm!
Happy childhood memories.
I now know whats for dinner tonight :-)
And beetroot, never ever cabbage.

Obviously being a Scouser I have Scouse, not stew.


Pound of Stewing Steak
A Large Onion
1lb of Carrots
5lb of Potatoes
2 Oxo Cubes
2 Teaspoons of Vegatable Oil
Worcester Sauce
Salt and Pepper
Water

Serve with pickled beetroot or pickled red cabbage and crusty bread.

[British Red]

dough balls then? either way, they are what we always called 'dumplings' and were cheap enough for us all to eat happily when I was young. what is your mothers dumpling recipe? (if you can divulge that sort of secret thing of course )

4.5 oz plain flour
2.5 oz beef suet
1 tsp baking powder
Bind with water

Normally herbs of choice are added.

Cook for the last half hour of stewing - they will double in size.

Mmmmmm stodge

[bilmo-p5]

Try doing your dumps in the oven; 20' @ 180°C or so. They come out like crusty bread - lightly browned crust and soft, fluffy inside. Add some stew and you have something as scrummyumptious as a scrummyumptious thing can be.

[Big Stu 12]

In mine I put
Meat
turnip
swede
carrot
Potatos
sweet potato
mushrooms
leek
onion
barley
butter beans
oxo
corn flour
diced bacon

sometimes just one chilli

always have Dumplings made with suet, plain, herb, chilli, have even tried sultarnas....thats an intersting taste, not on of the fav's tho, I like mine steamed on top of the stew

[Everything Mac]

Try doing your dumps in the oven; 20' @ 180°C or so. They come out like crusty bread - lightly browned crust and soft, fluffy inside. Add some stew and you have something as scrummyumptious as a scrummyumptious thing can be.

Yup - that's how we do them. I like the added crunchiness. Though cooking in the oven and then sitting them in the stew for a bit would be a good halfway point.

I am starving right now and this thread has not helped one bit!

Stilton in the dumplings sounds pretty good actually! mmmm stilton and port! yum.

Andy

[The Big Lebowski]

Mmm... Stilton, wallnut, three corner leek, dumpling, cow....

Two bottles of port. Mmmm.....

Must stop thinking

[santaman2000]

First dredge the meat (elk, thanks to my future son-in-law) in seasoned flour then brown it in a small amount of oil (or preferably bacon fat) next add sliced Vadalia onions, sliced carrots, and ground black pepper to taste. Cover with beef stock and simmer for an hour then add potatoes and tomatoes, and whatever seasonal vegetable is available, adjust seasoning, and simmer another half hour.

Serve with hot cornbread.

[Everything Mac]

Bubble and squeak with the stew anybody??

Andy

[jacko1066]

Hi guys, excuse my stupidity, but how do you guys go about cooking your stews?
At home not a problem, I brown all the lovely meat and put it in my slow cooker an 10 hours later I have summit that is glorious on the palate lol!!
My problem arises outside, if you cook ths on a good stove where you can adjust the heat well, you would be able to cook it almost perfectly, but it would not be very econimcal on fuel, on the other hand if yu do it over the fire, you would get good economy but for a consistant burn for say 3 hours that would take a hel of alot of tendering wouldnt it?
Do you just put it on some sort of adustable pot hanger so you can move it away or closer to the heat? Or do it on a few coals so it jut blips away??
Cheers
Steve

[dwardo]

Fry off red onion, white onion, ramson bulbs in the bottom of a parge pan with some oil. Add the meat and brown then add the Choritzio.
Add a some ale and a little water plus any stock you have.
Add the hard veg, carrorts, sweed etc.
Cook for a few hours then add the new potatoes 30 mins from the end.

All good.

[gbjim03m]

Fry off red onion, white onion, ramson bulbs in the bottom of a parge pan with some oil. Add the meat and brown then add the Choritzio.
Add a some ale and a little water plus any stock you have.
Add the hard veg, carrorts, sweed etc.
Cook for a few hours then add the new potatoes 30 mins from the end.

All good.

And we only had had pork belly last time, cheers mate. Next time your cooking!

[Sappy]

Hi guys, excuse my stupidity, but how do you guys go about cooking your stews?
At home not a problem, I brown all the lovely meat and put it in my slow cooker an 10 hours later I have summit that is glorious on the palate lol!!
My problem arises outside, if you cook ths on a good stove where you can adjust the heat well, you would be able to cook it almost perfectly, but it would not be very econimcal on fuel, on the other hand if yu do it over the fire, you would get good economy but for a consistant burn for say 3 hours that would take a hel of alot of tendering wouldnt it?
Do you just put it on some sort of adustable pot hanger so you can move it away or closer to the heat? Or do it on a few coals so it jut blips away??
Cheers
Steve

An adjustable hanger makes the least labour intensive method but isnt effecient with fuel. Start with a very hot fire and put the hanger on the highest setting and lower it as the fire dies down. If youve got good fuel you might get away with not adding any more fuel.

Ive seen folk do the opposite and adjust the fire to reach there static hanger, this is a load of faffing about though. Some folk just put the pot on coals and move it about to get the desired effect.

The first method allows you to do something else just remember to lower the pot every now and then, if its not cooked by the time your pots at the lowest setting just stick an armload of fuel on and repeat the process.

Tatties
beef
carrots
onions
neep
parsnip
4 bovril stock cubes per litre
lots of salt
lots of black pepper

[santaman2000]

Hi guys, excuse my stupidity, but how do you guys go about cooking your stews?
At home not a problem, I brown all the lovely meat and put it in my slow cooker an 10 hours later I have summit that is glorious on the palate lol!!
My problem arises outside, if you cook ths on a good stove where you can adjust the heat well, you would be able to cook it almost perfectly, but it would not be very econimcal on fuel, on the other hand if yu do it over the fire, you would get good economy but for a consistant burn for say 3 hours that would take a hel of alot of tendering wouldnt it?
Do you just put it on some sort of adustable pot hanger so you can move it away or closer to the heat? Or do it on a few coals so it jut blips away??
Cheers
Steve

Two words; DUTCH OVEN.

[Everything Mac]

Dutch oven's are pretty awesome!

Made a crumble in one a while back - put some coals in the lid and it cooked the top

Andy