Stew advice;
Hey everybody, I'm BITTER! I need stew help; mine are always awful. I like my stews peppery and spicy, but they don't come out as good as I like. Can someone help?
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18 Comments:
Could you give me a little more to go at? What sort of stews are you making? What meat and stock are you using? Are you using vegetables? What spices do you like? Perhaps with a little more info I could be of some help!
alexrushmer at 7:08PM on 03/10/08
I use my slow cooker usually. I made a chicken stew out of dark meat (thighs), and added wild rice, carrots, leeks, celery and thickened it with a sofrito. I used bouillion cubes and water for the stock. I seasoned it with thyme, rosemary, kosher salt, pepper, oregano and basil. Too many spices maybe?
I had a similar issue with my lamb stew last month. I didn't use sofrito, but the flour&milk thickening I used gave it a slightly starchy aftertaste. Hope this helps. Thanks for responding.
BITTER at 8:17PM on 03/10/08
I'm getting the sense that your definition of sofrito is very different from anything I know as such. Will you define what you mean?
ccbweb at 9:42PM on 03/10/08
I grew up on beef stew with unmanageable and undigestible chunks of beef, yet had a fond memory of them and a craving for stew when a Cooking Light issue arrived just in time. Making stew was their Cooking Class feature, which takes one through the basic steps (sauteeing the aromatics, browning the meat, deglazing, etc) and offers recipes for several varieites of stew. I saved the issue (Jan/Feb 2006) and go back to it over and over.
JojoK at 10:09PM on 03/10/08
I'm getting the sense that your definition of sofrito is very different from anything I know as such. Will you define what you mean?"
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http://www.recipezaar.com/109425
BITTER at 11:08PM on 03/10/08
The bouillon cubes could be a part of the problem; a lot of them have a metallic taste, and manage to simultaneously seem too salty, and not salty enough, so I usually only add a little bit if a broth seems watery. Usually stews are so dense that they're not lacking in flavour even if you use plain water as the cooking liquid.
The starchiness that you get from using flour as a thickener can be eliminated by making a roux with the flour and milk. I grew up in Tuscany, so I'm not familiar with milk-based stews, but it seems that incorporating the milk into the roux would help blend the flavours.
The particular herbs you listed are tasty, but can sometimes clash when used together; I'd use just one. Seriously. Or, pick one assertive herb, and a second much milder one that harmonises with it.
When I make a stew, I usually brown everything, then add water (beer or red wine is very good in beef stew, too) and perhaps tomatoes, then simmer everything for several hours.
My favourite beef stew is a Tuscan one called 'peposo' which roughly means 'peppery'; if you like spicy stews, I can give you the recipe I have. It uses beef, tomatoes, pepper, red wine, and garlic... and that's pretty much it. But the flavour is WAY more complex then you'd expect, although prep work is so incredibly minimal that the first time I tried it, I expected it to be awful. but it was great with a big, intense flavour.
Let, me know, I'd be happy to pass it along!
mongoose at 6:13AM on 03/11/08
I braise beef with red wine frequently, and I have found that reducing the wine first makes a really flavorful broth. I put some wine on a back burner while I'm prepping everything else. (This tip came from Thomas Keller's Bouchon recipe for Beef Bourguignon)
I never use bouillon, just deglaze the pan the meat was browned in with some water and add the reduced wine.
Chuck is a good choice for braising - it is best cooked a long time (to an internal temperature of 200 degrees, then 30 minutes more - that's an America's Test Kitchen tip)
SSMom at 8:29AM on 03/11/08
mongoose & SSMom, thanks so much. And mongoose, I'd love it if you could send that stew recipe; I can always use more.
BITTER at 8:49AM on 03/11/08
This recipe for 'peposo' is adapted (e.g. I used crushed, instead of the original whole tomatoes) from 'Ricette Tradizionali Fiorentine', edited by Carla Geri Camporesi, 1993.
The meat is not browned beforehand; I was very sceptical about this, but followed the instructions anyway, just to see what happened/if it would come out anything like the dish I loved... I was very, very, happy :)
This supposedly serves 8.
2kg/4lb6.5oz beef (this undergoes a lengthy cooking, so a tough, flavourful cut is perfect)
10 cloves of garlic
700gr/25oz crushed tomatoes
2 glasses of red wine
8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
salt (to taste)
Cut the beef into large cubes, and finely mince the garlic.
Put beef, garlic, tomatoes, pepper and a bit of salt (better too little than too much) into a large saucepan.
Pour enough water to barely cover all the ingredients, cover pot and simmer for 2 hours.
Add the wine, stir, and cook for another hour; if the stew looks too liquidy for your taste, simmer uncovered for the last half hour or so.
Whenever I make this, I just buy a convenient amount of meat, and adjust the rest of the ingredients accordingly. This recipe is very tolerant, and does not demand great precision. If you do not cook the beef for a long time, however, it will be tough.
mongoose at 9:52AM on 03/11/08
I'd nuke the boullion cubes and use a good beef stock either homemade or Pacific or Kitchen Basics. That's got to be half your problem!
I have a pork stew recipe that I'll post when I get home. You might want to try that - just for a change of pace.
chiff0nade at 11:27AM on 03/11/08
Are you browning your meat before tossing it into the slow cooker? If not, this step is 100% worth the extra effort. In fact, in my mind, it is absolutely essential. Make a golden or brown roux in the fond for your thickener, and DEFINITELY use stock instead of bouillon. I'd also consider using some wine. Ideally, if you don't make your own stock from scratch, go with a carton stock made by Imagine or Pacific Foods or Kitchen Basics. But, even a canned variety will be superior to bouillon.
Also, IMHO, way too many herbs in there. They are probably competing. Stew, like most classic dishes, is designed to be simple, with all the flavors enhancing and complementing each other. I'd start with just one herb (recommend thyme for chicken and beef, rosemary for lamb) and a couple of bay leaves. If you don't like the results, try a different herb or just ONE additional variety.
Are you using a cookbook? If not, consider getting Joy of Cooking and/or How to Cook Everything as good basic guidance books.
If you like spicy and peppery, you might try a recipe for Hungarian goulash or chicken paprikash. Not spicy, but fantastically flavorful, would be a traditional coq au vin.
LoCo at 11:52AM on 03/11/08
I have one Nigella cookbook, but for baked goods. I got my stew recipe from a Better Homes & Gardens Slow-cooker cookbook in the discount section of Barnes & Noble LOL....clearly I'll have to invest more cash into some better quality cookbooks. I also get a lot of recipes from the Internet. People are so helpful and full of advice on these foodie sites -- I love that.
BITTER at 12:44PM on 03/11/08
always use a nice chuck roast - it will melt in your mouth if given enough time to cook.
cut into nice size pieces - salt/pepper - dredge in flour
in it goes to a heavy dutch oven type with hot olive oil - you may have to cook in batches.
remove meat and add a large yellow onion and a couple cloves of garlic chopped. cook for 5-6 minutes
add meat back in and a couple tablespoons of flour. cook another few minutes - make sure the flour has cooked
add 2 cans chicken broth while all the time stirring. bring to a boil
add carrots and potaotes.
then you can do one of two things - keep it on top of the stove at a low simmer until meat is tender and vegs are cooked - 45 minutes to an hour
OR
put a tight lid on it and put it in the oven at around 325-350 for at least 90 minutes - the oven definalety adds another level of flavor if you are not in a hurry.
good luck and happy stewing
LA
labrown13 at 3:33PM on 03/11/08
Bitter: Save your money. Try websites first!...(although I am a sucker for beautiful cookbooks to browse through.)
JojoK at 6:49PM on 03/11/08
Me too Jojo....me like pretty pics of foood....I'm saving up all my chicken bones and am gonna make chicken stock this weekend. And next time I'll go easy on the spices. Too bad I'll have to throw that stew out....it tastes really weird.
BITTER at 8:31PM on 03/11/08
:) Here's a link to that article with stew making basics. http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking/cs/techniques/package/0,14343,1153662,00.html
JojoK at 10:05PM on 03/11/08
There's so much good information here, but just thought I'd comment on the herbs:
The choices you list (rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil) could possibly work together, if balanced carefully, but rosemary is something that has to be used very conscientiously--its flavor is so distinct.
However, the sofrito base you linked to would clash with most everything except, possibly, the oregano.
A sofrito is great for stews and so many other dishes, but you might look into playing around with the components of yours when you're after a non-Latin taste. For example, Italian or Spanish cooking might use a sofrito based simply on onions, olive oil, tomatoes (or tomato paste) and garlic. You could also try adding carrots or celery, esp. for Italian cooking. Once you add the annatto, the green peppers, cilantro and lime, you have a very distinct flavor profile that might not get along so well with other 'European' herbs.
renzata at 2:05AM on 03/12/08
Bitter, feel free to send me your email address -- I'll send you a recipe that you'll love. :)
tmj529 at 5:17AM on 04/28/08