Culinary Advice?

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kate_ce1995
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Culinary Advice?

Post by kate_ce1995 »

Okay my kitchen friends. Beef stew is one of my favorite comfort foods in the winter. And easily gf. Here's the thing. Geoff will eat it, but isn't crazy about it (mine anyway). He says its not creamy enough like Dinty Moore is.

So here's how I make it:

stew beef
potatos
carrots
(would add onions but Geoff doesn't like those either)
1 cup of stock (usually made with a HerbOx bullion cube).
corn starch

Any ideas how to make more/creamier gravey?

Thanks,
Katy
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barbaranoela
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Post by barbaranoela »

Katy---wow sounds like my beef stew---

The only thing I do is to add a package of McCormicks Beef Stew Seasoning---but I dont know if U can use that??

And the corn starch should be the *cream of the crop* :grin:

I usually get the creamier gravy~~~

So dont know what else to include???

Let me know if U find something other to whip it up!!

Luve, Barbara---aka the cooker that hung up her apron :lol:
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tex
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Post by tex »

Katy,

I like "thick" stew, myself. Something that will stick to your ribs. The secret to "creamy" beef stew, as far as I'm concerned, is to cook it, and then cook it some more. I start my stew in the evening, by browning the meat, and then adding water, and letting it simmer, while I add diced potatoes, (and onions), and seasoning, (such as seasoned salt), and then I let it slow cook, overnight. I dice the meat and potatoes, incidentally, into roughly one-half to three-quarter inch chuncks. The smaller the cubes, the thicker the stew will be.

The next day, I add the rest of the ingredients, (usually a can of rotel, with a few sliced jalapenos added, if you want more heat, plus a few diced bell peppers, of various colors, to add color, a can or two of stewed tomatoes, some diced celery, and a few bay leaves). Then I let it slow cook until noon, at which time it will be ready. However, if you are going to work, and want to eat it in the evening, just turn it off in the morning, and add the rest of the ingredients after work, and let it simmer a few hours. Every time you reheat it, it will be even better. I use equal amounts of meat and potatoes, by approximate weight, and one each of the canned ingredients, for roughly every 4 or 5 pounds of meat. You can add a can of mixed vegetables, if you like additional veggies in your stew. I often add diced cabbage, also. You can add canned soups, of a strategic type, if you want to modify the creaminess of the stew, but I prefer to get the texture I like, by simply cooking it to death. LOL.

This is my hunting camp stew, and I start with 10 to 12 pounds of meat, and a like amount of potatoes. I use two to three cans of each of the canned ingredients. You can get mild rotel, if you don't want a "hot" stew.

Ummmmmmmm--good.

Wayne
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Post by Mars »

Gee Tex - that's some stew!

Katy,
I have used milk and have also kind of mashed the potatoes and carrots with a hand masher to make a thicker/creamier broth. Not all of the potatoes, just enough to help thicken. I have also done that with chili beans - mash some of them for thicker chili.

Mmmmmmmmm, sounds good to me!

Mars
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Liz
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Post by Liz »

Katy I use very little added liquid in my stews, let it cook more or less in it's own juice. For say 2 pounds of beef I would only add about 1 cup of stock or whatever extra liquid used. Then just cook it very slowly for a few hours. You will find that more liquid comes out of the beef and becomes a rich beef tea. I add the carrots & onions in the beginning but put potatoes or other vegs in later so that they dont break up. I never add just water, always stock or crushed tomatoes.

Love

Liz
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kate_ce1995
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Post by kate_ce1995 »

Hmmm...thats about how I make it, just minus some of the extra ingrediants. I do mine in the crock pot, so it cooks from about 7:30 until 6 or so the first day. Then reheat servings for leftovers.

Hmmmm.
Katy
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Post by m »

Katy,
I've found lately that tapioca works better to thicken things (convenient for me too since I can't eat corn any more). It has to cook though. I made a great chicken pot pie filling last week using tapioca flour.
m
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Post by annie oakley »

You can also add mashed potatoes or in a pinch a can of ready made gravey. Love Oma
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tex
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Post by tex »

Or potato flakes.

Tex
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Post by Polly »

D'UH, what's rotel? I don't recall ever using it in Chesapeake Bay seafood cooking. :???:

Ignorantly,

Polly
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tex
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Post by tex »

It's a brand of diced tomatoes and chili peppers. It's available in original, extra hot, (my favorite), and milder, versions. Actually, the name on the can is RO*TEL. It's an old product that has been around for many decades, (at least here in Texas). It's distributed these days by Con Agra.

It's great stuff. I wouldn't even consider making a stew without it. Another advantage is, if you get unexpected company, and you're afraid you don't have enough stew, just add another can of rotel--it'll go twice as far. LOL.

Sorry, I thought everyone was aware of it.

Tex
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Post by artteacher »

I guarantee he will love this soup!

1 T. flour OR Bob's gluten free pancake mix (a mix of tapioca, rice, pot flour, cornstarch, etc)
3/4 c salt, dash pepper
3/4 lb. beef chuck, cubed
1-2 T shortening
1 can Campbells condensed tomato soup OR a small can of tomato paste, sugar, powdered clove, dash allspice, dash W. sauce, dash basil
1 soup can of water
onion (1 T - 3/4 c, depends how much you like onion)
1/4-1/2 t dried basil
2 medium potatoes, cubed
2-3 carrots, cubed
1/4 d dry red wine (this is the secret ingredient that you can't omit)

Combine flour, salt and pepper, coat meat in it and brown in hot shortening. Put it in a oven proof pot, add soup water, onion and basil. Cover and Bake at 375 for 1 hour. Add potatoes, carrots and wine. Cover and bake 45 minutes-1 hour more. 2-3 servings

I'd be so surprized if your husband didn't like this. My family thinks it's my secret gourmet recipe and it's an old standard out of a Better Homes cookbook.

I hope you try it! Love, Marsha
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kate_ce1995
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Post by kate_ce1995 »

M,

How is tapioca flour to cook with? Does it lump like wheat flour if you don't mix it with the fat right?

Sounds like a lot of you use more liquidy products like the tomatoes. He doesn't like those either, and actually, I don't think I've ever had stew with tomatos in it before? Maybe next time I'll try adding more broth and see if it produces enough gravy for him to be happy.

Katy
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tex
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Post by tex »

In my experience, tapioca is worse than any other flour that I've ever tried, as far as forming gooey lumps is concerned. It's pretty tough, (if not impossible), to make good gravy with. At least, that's been my experience. If you want to add GF flour, I would think that potato starch, (or potato flour), or rice flour, would be your best bet. For almost any kind of baking, tapioca flour has to be blended with other flours, in order to get a good workable mix.

It is becoming painfully obvious, that Geoff doesn't really want beef stew, what he wants is beef cooked with potatoes and gravy. LOL. That's good eatin', but it's not stew.

Here in the southwest, it's probably illegal to make stew without chilies, and stewed tomatoes, (or tomatillos), fit right in with chilies. To my way of thinking, stew needs a lot of ingredients, including a lot of spicy stuff, in order to be bonafide stew. Onions and chilis, for example, are absolutely essential. LOL.

Wayne
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Post by Liz »

When make Steak & Kidney stew, I thinken it with tapioca, the whole, not flour. We call them 'frogs eyes' Sound ghastly I know but it works.

Love

Liz
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