Stew Recipe
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Stew In Process
You know- the one that's just the right thickness, the right meatiness (with or without meat), the right seasonings, the right veggie combination? Not to mention that if you hit on a combination that you like, others in the household may not.
You know the phrase "Too many cooks spoil the stew" (or pot, soup, broth, etc)? Well, I'm challenging that notion here and now! We're having a throw down Bobby Flay style, right here on Squidoo!
I'm going to chronicle my ideas, trials, successes and failures right here. And you know what? I want you to do the same. Build a lens with your favorite stew recipe, add your favorite stew recipe link to the plexo, your favorite ingredients, your least favorite ingredients. Tell me what you like, what you hate, and what you want!
My Awesome Stew Recipe
Yes, my friends, thanks to all of your encouragement, and the interest that creating this lens stirred up, I have created my very own Vegan Crockpot Stew Recipe! And it's yummy!
Not a vegan? I like a little beef diced in, and hubs likes a little ham (can be added after cooking). 'Course, hubs also likes the bitter turnips better than non-bitter, and likes mushrooms added from the start so that they end up hard and rubbery. But, you're making it. Make it how you want!
“Did you know? Stew is basically just boiled food, so no recipe needed! Have fun. Experiment!”
My Favorite Stew Ingredients
- Onion
- Celery
- Carrots
- Crushed red pepper (dried)- it doesn't take much. Just enough for a little kick.
- Parsnips- Nice crisp parsnips are nice, but since I make stew in the crockpot, rubbery ones work too.
- Jersey Sweets- Jersey sweets are a mild sweet potato of a pale gold color. Perfectly yummy.
My Favorite Stew Base
I grew up with my mother using V-8 as a soup and stew base. I can't imagine using anything else! But V-8 can be a bit on the salty side, so I prefer to use the low sodium V-8 and a packet or two of low or no sodium Herb-Ox beef bouillon.
Lodge Color 6-Quart Dutch Oven, Caribbean Blue
Amazon Price: $49.50 (as of 02/17/2012)
Some people will tell you that the only way to properly make stew is with a Dutch Oven. Who knows? They may be right.
Even though regular cast iron is fairly easy to take care of, this enameled version should have zero risk of rust.
Ingredients To Try In Stew
- Mushrooms- Mushrooms can be a yummy addition to any stew, or a great alternative to meat. Try something interesting like sliced shitake instead of the usual button mushrooms, or crumble up some portabella caps.
- Tofu/Tempeh/Seitan- Generally speaking, if you want to cut meat out of your stew, the easiest replacement would be a meat substitute! However, if you plan to use something as soft as tofu, you may want to consider baking it on low for 1/2 hour to an hour before putting it in the stew.
- Okra- It's supposed to be a natural thickener, but would you believe that I've never eaten okra? Still, it seems like a natural ingredient to me since it's a popular thickener for gumbo. And gumbo really is a kind of stew, after all.
- Miso- Red miso makes a great stew base (if thickened properly) for stews with strong flavors such as beef, dark meat poultry, or if using V8 as a base. White miso would be excellent for white meat poultry or fish.
- Avocado- Why not? Avocados are good for you, and it should make the stew base creamier (I think).
- Cashews- Supposedly cashews can be easily blended into a paste if they've been soaked. I'm thinking they would go very well with either avocado or bacon.
So What Brought This On?
I had stew on the list. Well, a pseudo-stew that I make in the slow cooker (celery, carrots, onion, beef cubes, V-8, beef bouillon, a few spices). But that didn't seem too healthy, particularly after reading Dr McKeith's book, and I started to question why I was including beef when I don't like it, and what it could be replaced with. A few more ponderings, and this lens was born!
You Are What You Eat: The Plan That Will Change Your Life
Amazon Price: $9.65 (as of 02/17/2012)
What enthralled me the most about watching Dr Gillian McKeith's show on BBC America (You Are What You Eat) was that she could look at a person's tongue, and tell them, based on problems on the tongue, what nutrients they were lacking!
She includes diagnostic information like this in her book, as well as the best foods, supplements, herbs, teas, etc for each condition, as well as loads of information on healthy eating in general as well as for specific ailments.
I'm looking to get the You Are What You Eat cookbook next.
What are your favorite stew ingredients?
Do you have any ingredients that are tried and true? Or maybe something that you've heard is really good and you're dying to try it out?
And I'm not just talking meat and veggies here. Tell me all about your favorite herbs, spices, and thickeners, too!
Don't forget to vote for the ingredients you list, and your favorites that others have suggested!
Turnips
Be careful with turnips- if you don't peel them correctly, more...0 points
What Is The Air Speed Viscosity Of An Unladled Stew?
Crock-Pot SCVP600-SS 6-Quart Smart-Pot Programmable Slow Cooker, Stainless Steel
Amazon Price: $29.99 (as of 02/17/2012)
List Price: $86.67
Believe me, I love my cheap, basic models of slow cookers (yes, I have two), but I would looooove to have a programmable slow cooker like this! Timer and temperature settings? Love it!
What's The Best Protein?
What's your favorite stew recipe?
Have a favorite stew recipe already? Something tried and true, never fails, always a crowd pleaser? Please, give us the link! And don't forget to vote for it too...
Stew - the Ultimate Comfort Food » so you wannabee a Domestik Goddess?
Just the basics- simple directions for a basic ste more...0 points
All My Other Recipe Lenses
Lensmaster Stew Recipes
Other Stew Recipes I'd Like To Try
- Harvest Stew Recipe
- I very much want to try recipes with squash in them- mostly because I'm trying to learn to like squash. This one sounds particularly good!
Are You Interested In Nutrition?
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byTalk To Me, Baby!
Have anything else you'd like to see featured here? New poll questions? Recipe ideas? Talk to me, baby!
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SimeyC
May 4, 2009 @ 6:56 am | delete
- Guinness is the key!!!! Great lens!
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lokipro
Mar 9, 2009 @ 9:02 am | delete
- I have been an avid soup maker for the last few years... it may sound strange, but I find it gratifying turning plain 'ole water into something fantastic! Haven't made many stews yet, but definitely want to add it to my repertoire!
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jfield
Nov 15, 2008 @ 9:42 pm | delete
- Great lens--I love that you don't use a recipe. That's my thing, too. Learn a technique, not a recipe. I've rolled this to my Intuitive Stew lens. Thanks!
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WordVixen
Oct 14, 2008 @ 6:45 pm | delete
- WFYW- Ooh, that sounds good! Does the stew use squash? Cuz I'm thinking cider and squash would work nicely together...
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WritingforYourWealth
Oct 5, 2008 @ 5:21 pm | delete
- Tofu in the stew, eh? Well, PCC in Seattle does a lot of interesting things with tofu, so I'm sure it's possible. My favorite stew recipe has apple cider in it. :)
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Stew Cookbooks
by WordVixen
Aspiring writer, marketer, and web publisher, who is also a Disney addict.
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