a bay leaf fell in the bouillon. was it a sign from mom to add a little bit more of each? i did
before ingredients are addedi like this base in particular
i never salt until the very very end
i never salt until the very very end
keep it chunky
when it comes to stew or most soups, for that matter, I have never followed a recipe.
stew or soup by nature should be something that is spontaneous.
I do follow, however, moms stew recipe as I remember it from a girl watching her make it in the kitchen ,if I have left anything out, please let me know. this will be a play by play. so the general ingredients for me are stew meat or a steak. a large russet potato, celery, onion garlic and beef broth. I keep with the kiss philosophy when it comes to stew. keep it simple silly.
I chop up my beef, trying to get rid of all the little fat parts, I like them in bite sized chunks.
in a bowl I add about a cup of flour a cup of seasoned breadcrumbs (mom used flour, I added the bread crumbs) sea salt, and white pepper. I usually use a bag and dump the meat into the bag and make sure it is all coated by kneading the pieces with my fingers. as I am doing this, i add enough Olive oil to brown the meat. letting it get hot (med to high) on the stove in a nice wok style pan. when it is hot, I add the dredged meat and let it cook for about 4 minutes before I turn it. this way everything is nice and brown and the meat juices are all sealed in. if there is a little of the flour mixture left over, dump it in the pan, or at least a handful for good measure...
while the stew meat is browning, I chop up celery , garlic and onion. I take the browned meat off and put it in a bowl, the same bowl I mixed the flower with. I then add a tiny bit more olive oil and add this to slightly sauté. while this is sautéing, I add spices of thyme, rosemary, Italian and herbs de Provence. i add a pinch of each. then I fill a pot with water and let it get hot. then I add some beef stock to buff out the water and give it some beef flavor. I keep it rather thin so that I can touch it up later if I need to. about a big generous spoonful. while this is heating I cut up carrot and a potato, country style. then I add everything to the water and turn it to low. right away the water should have a little color to it from the flour off the stew. add about three or four bay leaves. you can take those out later.
then I turn it way down and let it cook for about 3-4 hours. when it is done you will know because the meat will be tender. don't worry about anything else but how tender the meat is. it should come apart in your mouth. if it doesn't, it is not done. the longer the better. sometimes, if I did not add enough meat, the mixture will still be a tad thin (my mom made a boisterous stew), I will then make a little rue of better then bouillon stock and flour about a tablespoon of each, and stir that in to buff it out a little.
the house smells yummy. I like to serve with bread. mom used to serve this over rice, but Paul doesn't like it that way. he just like to eat it as soup. of course, my father would eat anything over rice, Hawaiian style. anyway, if you have the chance to try it, please let me know what you think. i will try to post a pic when it is all done.
when it comes to stew or most soups, for that matter, I have never followed a recipe.
stew or soup by nature should be something that is spontaneous.
I do follow, however, moms stew recipe as I remember it from a girl watching her make it in the kitchen ,if I have left anything out, please let me know. this will be a play by play. so the general ingredients for me are stew meat or a steak. a large russet potato, celery, onion garlic and beef broth. I keep with the kiss philosophy when it comes to stew. keep it simple silly.
I chop up my beef, trying to get rid of all the little fat parts, I like them in bite sized chunks.
in a bowl I add about a cup of flour a cup of seasoned breadcrumbs (mom used flour, I added the bread crumbs) sea salt, and white pepper. I usually use a bag and dump the meat into the bag and make sure it is all coated by kneading the pieces with my fingers. as I am doing this, i add enough Olive oil to brown the meat. letting it get hot (med to high) on the stove in a nice wok style pan. when it is hot, I add the dredged meat and let it cook for about 4 minutes before I turn it. this way everything is nice and brown and the meat juices are all sealed in. if there is a little of the flour mixture left over, dump it in the pan, or at least a handful for good measure...
while the stew meat is browning, I chop up celery , garlic and onion. I take the browned meat off and put it in a bowl, the same bowl I mixed the flower with. I then add a tiny bit more olive oil and add this to slightly sauté. while this is sautéing, I add spices of thyme, rosemary, Italian and herbs de Provence. i add a pinch of each. then I fill a pot with water and let it get hot. then I add some beef stock to buff out the water and give it some beef flavor. I keep it rather thin so that I can touch it up later if I need to. about a big generous spoonful. while this is heating I cut up carrot and a potato, country style. then I add everything to the water and turn it to low. right away the water should have a little color to it from the flour off the stew. add about three or four bay leaves. you can take those out later.
then I turn it way down and let it cook for about 3-4 hours. when it is done you will know because the meat will be tender. don't worry about anything else but how tender the meat is. it should come apart in your mouth. if it doesn't, it is not done. the longer the better. sometimes, if I did not add enough meat, the mixture will still be a tad thin (my mom made a boisterous stew), I will then make a little rue of better then bouillon stock and flour about a tablespoon of each, and stir that in to buff it out a little.
the house smells yummy. I like to serve with bread. mom used to serve this over rice, but Paul doesn't like it that way. he just like to eat it as soup. of course, my father would eat anything over rice, Hawaiian style. anyway, if you have the chance to try it, please let me know what you think. i will try to post a pic when it is all done.
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