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?

Tomsk · 5 Oct 2009 at 22:10

mustard

yer_averagejoe · 5 Oct 2009 at 22:10

add a splash of guiness to the mix. trust me.

LeJosh · 5 Oct 2009 at 22:11

I like fresh chillies in my stew.

Burnsy2023 · 5 Oct 2009 at 22:12

How do you do it currently?

Vonhelmet · 5 Oct 2009 at 22:12

Put in a lamb chop and play russian stewlette.

[FnG]magnolia · 5 Oct 2009 at 22:13

^ Yes, fresh chillies add some spark. Also try some worcester sauce, roasted cumin seeds and a few bay leaves.

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.

Dolph · 5 Oct 2009 at 22:15

yer_averagejoe said:
add a splash of guiness to the mix. trust me.

Nah, add a bottle of guiness to the mix instead of stock, trust me

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.

BigglesPiP · 5 Oct 2009 at 22:19

Add marmite.

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.

Andelusion · 5 Oct 2009 at 22:23

Chuck some red wine in

Burnsy2023 · 5 Oct 2009 at 22:24

Are you using fresh herbs? If you're using dried, fresh will make a noticeable difference.

PlacidCasual · 5 Oct 2009 at 22:25

Put a hand grenade in it with a piece of beef tied to the pin.

meghatronic · 5 Oct 2009 at 22:25

LeJosh said:
I like fresh chillies in my stew.

This. With pepper.

Muban · 5 Oct 2009 at 22:25

Use Guinness/real ale in there, as Dolph says a whole bottle. Try adding something a bit different to the sauce like mushroom ketchup or even a little nutmeg as well as mixed herbs.

To make it a little different when serving: thickly slice part of a a french stick. Liberally spread one side of each slice with dijon/french mustard. 15 minutes before the end of cooking take the lid off the stew/casserole, place the bread mustard side up on top of the stew and bake in the oven for 15 mins. When it's ready the gravy will have soaked into the bottom of the bread and the top of the bread will be all mustardy and crunchy....yum!

Richiev4 · 5 Oct 2009 at 22:26

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

jp_bl_68 said:
I genuinely laughed out loud.

Me too

BigglesPiP · 5 Oct 2009 at 22:26

Muban said:
Use Guinness/real ale in there, as Dolph says a whole bottle. Try adding something a bit different to the sauce like mushroom ketchup or even a little nutmeg as well as mixed herbs.

To make it a little different when serving: thickly slice part of a a french stick. Liberally spread one side of each slice with dijon/french mustard. 15 minutes before the end of cooking take the lid off the stew/casserole, place the bread mustard side up on top of the stew and bake in the oven for 15 mins. When it's ready the gravy will have soaked into the bottom of the bread and the top of the bread will be all mustardy and crunchy....yum!

I love steak and Guinness pie.

craig3000 · 5 Oct 2009 at 22:27

Pour petrol over it and ignite! Whaaaattttt ? It would look cool? Its the non edible version :/