Simmered Flavour For Rush Hour Families
“This fall, beef cut from the blade, cross rib or shoulder is in plentiful supply,” says Joyce Parslow, home economist with the Beef Information Centre. “You can buy a roast and cube it yourself or pick up a package of precut Stewing Beef Cubes. Slow cooking – on the stove, in the oven or in a slow-cooker – makes all these cuts deliciously tender.”
As a busy working mother, Parslow uses home-cooked stews as one of the cornerstones in her “cook once-eat twice” repetoire. “Like fine wine, stew flavours mellow with time. When I have time to cook, on the weekend or during the evening, I double or triple a stew recipe for make-ahead dinners.” She also notes that beef stews will keep for up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator and up to three months in the freezer.
STEWING KNOW-HOW
Parslow provides the following timely stewing tips:
- Browning beef cubes before adding liquid improves both the colour and flavour of a finished stew.
- Lightly coating the beef cubes with flour, before cooking is optional – it can increase the amount of browning and helps to slightly thicken the broth.
- After browning, be sure to scrape up all the flavourful browned bits from the bottom of the pan, while adding the liquid.
- Use enough liquid to just cover the meat. As a rule of thumb, count on 4 cups of liquid for every kilogram (2 lb) of beef.
- For instant beef stock, use canned beef broth, consommé or bouillon cubes dissolved in water.
- Adding tomato juice, paste or stewed tomatoes helps tenderize the meat and gives the stock a rich colour and tangy taste. Red wine, sherry or beer are upscale alternatives.
- Once the liquid reaches a boil, reduce the heat so the stew simmers, not boils, for about 1 ½ hours. To maintain a constant heat, and to reduce the risk of scorching the bottom of the stew, try oven stewing. Using an overproof casserole, simmer stew in a 325°F (160°C) oven for 1 ½ hours.
- Firm vegetables, such as carrots and potatoes, should be added in the last half hour of cooking. Softer vegetables, such as peas, should be added in the final 5-10 minutes. When doubling the recipe, don’t add the vegetables to the entire batch. Instead, add variety to your menu by using different vegetables at the time of reheating.
- If the stew is headed for the freezer, omit potatoes as these may become mushy when frozen. Serve the reheated stew over rice or instant mashed potatoes.
- It’s easy to remove fat from the surface of a chilled stew because the fat rises to the surface and hardens. Lift off the excess fat and discard.
“By simply varying the vegetables and seasonings, you can completely change the personality of a basic stew,” explains Parslow. “For me, stew is a perfect meal – economical, convenient and with flavour variations to suit every palate.”
