Ordinary stewed beef

[annie0000]

For some reason I have managed to reach my mid 40s without ever having attempted to make just ordinary stewed beef (like the filling for steak pie). My mum used to make it all the time but would feel a bit embarrassed to ask her at this age how she made it!

I have made goulash and various casseroles with beef before, but how do you get just normal gravy? - while we are at it, can't make plain mince either - always just make spag bol or chili with it.

Confession over, anybody help?

[mazie]

Hi annie. I always braise my beef. I use it for pie fillings or just as it is served with creammy mashed potatoes and veg.

Here's how I do mine.

In a large oven proof casserole dish. Add a little olive oil ( I use a garlic infused olive oil), cut the beef into cubes and coat with seasoned flour(plain or cornflour) fry in the casserole dish with some chopped fresh parsley and a little chopped thyme. Fry until the meat is brown all over. If you like onion add some sliced onion, I dont put onion in mine, I like mushrooms instead.. Once the meat is browned turn the heat off and slowly pour in a bottle of Guinness stirring all the time. If you dont want to use guinness or an ale of your choice, make about a pint of beef stock and pour that in, the flour coating the meat should make a nice thickish gravy.. Set your oven on gas mark 2, put the lid on the casserole and bung into the oven for about 3-4 hours... Use it as it is or drain the meat a little and fill a pie dish, pop the crust on and bake for the required time. Use the stock as the gravy.....

[annie0000]

Perfect Thanks Masie - nice and simple just what I wanted.

[ummmm]

Or just make a good old Irish Stew...nothing simpler.

[jackthehat]

^There is probably a good reason for that..............;o)

[mazie]

a pleasure annie. I hope you enjoy it....

JtH :o)

[ethandron]

plain mince:
fry up the mince till it's gone grey/brown. add a chopped onion or two and lots of carrots. add enough water to cover and simmer it for 40 minutes or so. take it off the heat then either stir in some bisto gravy granules or mix a couple of teaspoons of flour with a little water to make a runny-ish mixture and stir that into the mince. allow it to bubble so it thickens.
alternatively, add a packet of veg or minestone soup and allow it to bubble to thicken.
i also add whatever veg i happen to have around - peas, cabbage, turnip, swede - but it's just as tasty with only carrots and onions.
add a topping of cooked, mashed broc and cauli with some cheese grated into it and put into the oven for 20 minutes. makes a tasty, fairly healthy potato-less cottage pie.

[annie0000]

Cheers Guys - Ummmm - Irish stew - how do you make it then?

ethandron - sounds lovely to me - I will probably have to use a bit less veggies if I want the kids to eat it, but me and OH will enjoy.

I usually pulp the carrots and add them to my bolognaise and they don't notice, but I suspect that the normal mince wont hide them so well!

[ummmm]

How I do mine...

Bring a pot of water to the boil..(not too much) add your beef, an onion, carrots and potatoes. Simmer for as long as you can until the potatoes start to break up and thicken the water. Salt and pepper. You can also add some gravy if you want. It tastes much nicer than it sounds..

[sherrardk]

Sorry ethandron - feeling a bit queasy today and lost the plot a bit at the 'fry it until it has gone grey ...'.

[ethandron]

annie, that's a really good idea. if you put the carrots in pretty large chunks in with the mince to simmer, you could fish them out when they're done and pulp them up and then put them back in, they'll help thicken it. same with turnips and swede. a friend of mine used to pulp all the veg up and add it to the gravy when they had a roast so her children would eat them, worked a treat.

[ethandron]

sherrardk, sorry. i couldn't think of another way to put it .....

[tamborine]

quintessential condiment for every kitchen......

http://www.mysupermar...tml?ShowSwitchSMBar=3

[annie0000]

I just grate them raw on the smallest bit of the grater and you are left with carrot mush which more or less disolves in the bolognaise and as you say, it thickens and sweetens it and they scoff it up completely oblivious! I made it once without the carrot and they complained that it didin't taste as good as usual - try to get them to eat a carrot though and you'd think I was trying to posion them!

I recon if I made the mince the same way and stuck pastry on the top, they wouldn't even notice- although, I think I feel doughballs coming on............

Ummmm - thanks for that - well I have one pack of lovely organic stewing steak in the fridge - now what do I make?????

Sherrardk - I ignored the grey bit and just decided that she meant to brown it.

After all this, my OH has decided he fancies beans on toast for dinner for a change!! I have the beef, fresh chicken, some chorizo sausage and loads of veg in the fridge and he wants beans on toast........aye right!!

[annie0000]

tambo - if I remember rightly, my mum used to have some browning powder stuff - I guess this is the modern alternative. Need to watch out for that.

[ethandron]

i have a half full, sticky bottle of it in one of my cupboards. used to use it lots but rarely use it now.

[tamborine]

Browning is pre OXO etc & cheaper, only few drops needed in full 4pint stew. For gravy from roast sediments, add flour thicken & browning to color - you can add bear/wine instead of water to thin gravy & add to taste.

For presentable/palatable food the color must be right & not look like a bowl of vomit :)