Making beef stew less boring

jp_bl_68 · 5 Oct 2009 at 22:10

Any thoughts on how to make beef stew a little less boring?

jp_bl_68 · 5 Oct 2009 at 22:14

vonhelmet said:
Put in a lamb chop and play russian stewlette.

I genuinely laughed out loud.

jp_bl_68 · 5 Oct 2009 at 22:18

Burnsy2023 said:
How do you do it currently?

Brown the beef, let it rest, sweat an onion and some carrots, return meat to the pan, add flour, season, pour over stock, add thyme/bay/oregano, add gravy browning and Worcestershire sauce, slow cook in the oven for a few hours.

jp_bl_68 · 5 Oct 2009 at 22:22

Whole grain mustard, cumin and Guiness all sound promising, not at the same time obviously. It can't be too spicy though. One of the people I'm cooking for can't handle anything spicy at the moment.

jp_bl_68 · 5 Oct 2009 at 22:29

Do you use beer and stock in equal amounts? Just one or the other? Or do you use beer and a stock cube crumbled into the stew?

jp_bl_68 · 5 Oct 2009 at 23:41

Worrall Thompson is a tit but that bourguignon recipe looks quite good. At the moment I think I'll go with wine or ale, plenty of mushrooms and.....something else, maybe some fresh herbs?

jp_bl_68 · 6 Oct 2009 at 00:08

I'm still getting the hang of dumplings. They always turn out too stodgy. I might add some roasted peppers but I'm not sure they'll go with the ale.

jp_bl_68 · 6 Oct 2009 at 00:36

Tefal said:
Few drops of LSD should do the trick.

You're the second person to mention LSD. I didn't realise acid stew was so popular. I might have to give it a go.

jp_bl_68 · 6 Oct 2009 at 00:40

I've decided to use ale instead of stout. Any suggestions? I was thinking Hobgoblin or maybe Spitfire. But I've never cooked with either before so I don't know what to expect.

jp_bl_68 · 6 Oct 2009 at 11:04

^ Why.......why would you post that? It's breakfast time..........what's wrong with you?

jp_bl_68 · 6 Oct 2009 at 14:20

Looks like that kid is trying to escape, he knows what's coming next and he wants no part of it: my mother is a bloody placenta eater, well that's just fantastic :mad:

jp_bl_68 · 6 Oct 2009 at 14:59

It's just gone in the oven. Potatoes, carrots, leaks, celery, fresh thyme, fresh bay, a pinch of cumin, half a chicken stock cube, a splash of Worcestershire, a bottle of Spitfire and I'll add some mushrooms later on. It smells good. Fingers crossed.

jp_bl_68 · 6 Oct 2009 at 15:12

Tefal said:
No placenta?

I used up the last of it on Friday night. I was making placenta cocktails for some friends of mine but I drank too much and after-birthed all over the carpet.

jp_bl_68 · 6 Oct 2009 at 19:24

It turned out alright. The Spitfire was quite subtle at first but by the end it was starting to taste a bit too bitter for my liking.