Could one of ya'll fine cooks please give me a tasty recipe for a beef stew? It is about 18 degrees right now and the high tomorrow will be at 32 degrees. I'm in Texas, can you belive it! Please be very detailed I'm not much of a cook and I'd hate for my spouse to ban me from further endeavors in the kitchen.

Thanks,

PoePoe

-- PoePoe (rpd932@yahoo.com), February 27, 2002

Answers

simple stew,, pounds or so of meat chuncks , a packet od stew mix , brown meat with the mix, turn down heat,, add veggies,, taters, carrots, turnips, celery ,oinion, parsnips,, whatever,, let simmer for 5 hours,, by then your hungary,, and wont care what it tastes like

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), February 27, 2002.

When I make stew I brown whatever meat I have (after cutting up in chunks)until it is brown all over and the bottom of the pan is a little brown (not burned). I then add water to cover and simmer while I am peeling the onions, potatoes, and carrots. As I add each veggie I add enough water to cover and cook until all veggies are tender. I usually peel the onions and add first, then peel the carrots and cut up into small bite sized pieces and add, then the same with the potatoes. Some people add a little bullion for flavor and I always pepper it well. If you take some flour and water and shake it up in a small jar you can slowly add it for thickening and then you have a thick, hearty stew.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), February 27, 2002.

I like to heat the pan first, with oil in it. Once the pot is good and hot, sear the pieces of meat , turn them over, and sear some more. You DO NOT want to cook the meat pieces all the way through, or they will get very tough: you just want them browned on the outside. I then add water and scrape the bits off the bottom of the pan. You are then ready to add veggies, buillion, garlic, or whatever you wish. Sometimes I cheat and just use a can of beef vegetable soup to make the broth good. Remember to simmer the soup or stew until the meat is cooked through: If you start out boiling the pot hard the meat won't get tender: I had a chemistry proffesor tell me why once but I don't remember why; just that if you start out the pot at a simmer and keep it there for half an hour or so, the protien chains in the meat relax and then it doesn't matter if the pot boils, when the stew is done the meat will be tender.

-- Terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), February 27, 2002.

FRENCH BEEF STEW

3pounds of stew meat (chuck roast) 1 can tomatoes (28 oz.) 1 can whole green beans (frozen works well) 1 can peas (frozen works) 1 can boiled small onions 3-4 carrots, cut into thick round chunks 1/2 can beef consume' (whole can for thinner stew) 1/2 cup white wine or vermouth (opt.) 1 slice of bread, crumbled 1 bay leaf 4 tablespoons minute tapioca 2 table spoons brown sugar

Drain all canned vegetables, except tomatoes. Put tomatoes in large heavy roasting pan first, then meat, and all other ingredients. Cover and bake 8 hours at 250 degrees. No need to stir until complete. Doubles nicely. Serves 10 hungry people.

Susan

-- Susan in Minnesota (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), February 27, 2002.

When I make beef stew it's ready to eat in about about an hour, as soon as the carrots are soft. I've never noticed much difference by letting it simmer all day. I cook the meat in oil, garlic and soy sauce in the bottom of the pot, add water, bring to a boil and add potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, cabbage, sometimes green beans, lima beans or any other green veggies I have laying around. I simmer that for about 30 minutes and then add the seasoning, usually a box of mild curry. The curry mix I use is $1.95 a box so I don't make it often. They make a hot version too and it's too hot for most people.

-- Dave (something@somewhere.com), February 27, 2002.

My stew is pretty much like Diane's, but I like tomatoes. Just add a big can. For the bouillon, I use the little packets from ramen(I use one packet for two packs of ramen, so I always have some around.)

-- mary (marylgarcia@aol.com), February 27, 2002.

Whal, ol’ pard, this is what ah do. Ah’m know far and wide for bein’ a master at rustlin’ up chuck for the hands ‘round hyer. Seein’ as yer a tinhorn, ah’ll type real slow-lakk sose yew don’t miss anythang important-lakk.
Remember last night when yew wuz ridin’ the line fence, yew found thet poor longhorn steer all tangled and mangled in the bob-wahr? Whul, yew did the ratt thang when yew put thet poor bawlin’ creature out of its missouri with yer .44 Any cowboy woulda done thet, yer larnin’ buckaroo.
Now lissen hyer tenderfoot, ah wantcha to saddle up yer cayuse and backtrack last night’s ride. Yew find thet steer. It’ll be frozen solid by now, but yew should still be able to cut a nice chunk outa its rump fer this stew of your’n. Yer bowie may not cut the frozen beef, sose yew bring along an axe or saw…savvy? Now yew ride hell bent fer leather or those ‘yotes will get to thet steer a’fore yew do. Now git!
Now the next thang is to getcher campfahr goin’ and allow it to burn down to a bed of nice coals. Dontchew go staring into thet fahr elsewise iny ol’ hombres might likely to sneak up on yew in the dark. Yer eyes will be fahr-blind and they will take time to adjust to peerin’ into the darkness. Iny ol’ salty cowboy knows thet yew never stare into yer campfahr!
Now bury yer dutch oven into thet bed o’ coals. Whilst the cast iron pot is a warmin’ up, ah wantcha to chunk up thet beef yew got off’n thet longhorn. Take the chunks and dredge them with flour. A’fore ya go throwin’ the beef in, widdle some o’ thet hard beef fat into the pot. Then toss in the flour-coated chunks. Seer the beef good, ya hear.
Onct the beef is brown, add some branch outa yer canteen. Then throw in whatever yew have in yer saddlebags. Didja notice thet wild onion growing’ over yonder? Go get some, sunny boy! A bit o’ those sage leaves might be ratt-nice. Hey, what about those tomaters thet nice senorita gave yew at the cantina? Chunk ‘em up and toss ‘em in, too! Now if’n yew add those dried chilis, yer gonna turn this stew into a chili…think twice about thet.
Ah nose yew don’t have iny taters, but the tubers off’n those cattail roots over in thet waterin’ hole could take the place of the spuds. Cut ‘em into chucks and throw in the pot! Don’t be tempted to use those dried beans on accounta they won’t get soft in the stew. Yew shoulda soaked ‘em first.
Ah wantcha to larn somethang hare, tinhorn. Whenever yer out ridin’ yew keep one eye on the ground. Yew’ll find all sorts o’ fixin’s fer yer next stew…wild garlic, wild celery, wild onion and the lakk.
Now, place the lid on yer dutch oven and let it simmer a while. Mosey over to yer saddle thar on the ground, set yerself down, lean back on yer saddle and rest a spell. Roll yerself a smoke and think about yer girl. When yew wake up from yer nap, drop a few lumps of that biscuit dough on top o’ yer stew. Put the lid back on the dutch oven and heap some o’ those coals on top of the oven. In about 20 minutes yew’ll have the best biscuits and stew a cowboy kin make! Adios….

-- Cabin Fever (cabinfever_mn@yahoo.com), February 27, 2002.

Terri is right... ( resident chef here )... To get really moist and tender beef chucks, Heat your pan to almost smoking hot. This "seals" the meat, keeping the juices from escaping with the heat and long cooking. Keep up the good work terri. Your stew sounds yummy....:)

-- Kristean Thompson (pigalena_babe@yahoo.com), February 28, 2002.