Looking for a different kind of beef stew recipe.

[intheflow]

I have some stew meat but am kind of sick of the regular beef and potatoes stew, and my SO is sick of chili and spaghetti sauce. Anyone have any ideas on how to mix it up with stew beef? I'm thinking middle-eastern, Asian, maybe African. Why do you do when you want an off-beat beef stew?

[Major Nikon]

1. My method for beef stew is different than most

The problem I have with traditional beef stew is that stewing meat for long periods tends to render the meat itself flavorless because all the flavors from the meat are washed out to make the broth. So what I do is stew the bones and all the other ingredients and cook the meat separately, then add the meat back into the mix just before serving. The way I do this is by cooking the meat by sous vide. Most people don't have the equipment to do sous vide, but there are other methods. Alton brown describes a method by which you braise the meat separately from the vegetables. As far as what spices and vegetables you use, you are only limited by your imagination.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-beef-stew-recipe.html

[intheflow]

10. Hmmm.

My SO would never, ever eat meat that raw. Hence my need to make stews. But for me, it sounds divine.

[Major Nikon]

13. You can cook all the way to well done using sous vide

For stew I usually go to about 150-160F, which is in the neighborhood of medium. After a few hours at 155F the collagen in the beef will convert to gelatin and the meat will be just as fork tender as if you had boiled it all day long.

As far as safety goes, and how "raw" a piece of meat is, time is interchangeable with temperature so long as you are above pasteurization temperatures. All the common food pathogens like e. coli, salmonella, listeria, etc. will start to pasteurize by about 130F but it will take much longer at this temperature to reduce the bacteria count to the same point as if you had used a higher temperature for a shorter period. What this means is that a piece of beef cooked for several hours via sous vide to rare will actually be safer than the same piece of beef cooked on the grill to medium.

[gollygee]

2. Do you like Indian food?

Though most Indians don't eat beef, I have a recipe for a great curry which beautifully takes stew meat in place of lamb. It's from Madhur Jaffrey. I'd recommend any of her cookbooks.

Smothered Beef

1 lb stew meat
1 small onion, finely chopped
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium tomato, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/2 to 2 fresh chiles (depending on how hot you like things. 1/2 is fine for me) cut into rings, keep seeds
1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
2 tsps garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon tomato paste
salt to taste
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic,peeled and finely chopped
freshly ground black pepper

put all ingredients except oil, garlic, and pepper into a bowl, mix well, and set aside while you do the rest.

You can cook it in a pressure cooker or a large saucepan. For the pressure cooker, set it over medium-high and heat the oil. Cook the garlic until it's medium brown, and then add everything else and stir it a few times, turn the heat to medium, cover the pressure cooker, and cook for 20 minutes at full pressure. Reduce the pressure quickly with cold water over the lid. Uncover, cook uncovered over high until the sauce is thick, stirring gently. Add pepper and stir again.

In a saucepan, it'll take more like 1-1/2 hours, and you'll need to add 1/2 cup water before you simmer. But I must say stew meat turns out really well in a pressure cooker.

[intheflow]

9. Out of yogurt, ginger, and tomato paste,

don't even know what garam masala is, and can't get any of it in time to make dinner as my S.O. has the car for the day. But is sounds interesting. I have always steered clear of Indian food because the first time I went to an Indian restaurant I got a real jerk for a waiter who suggested the hottest item on the menu for me to try as my first taste of India. (That restaurant went out of business in less than six months. I wonder why?) Anyway, I thought it was all like that. I've started trying it again the last few years because my sweetie likes it. I like most meals he makes with Indian spices. I will try this in the future.

But what is garam masala?

[gollygee]

15. It's a spice blend

You can make your own if you have the necessary spices, but you can buy it from the grocery store too.

[bif]

3. How bout a Moroccan Tagine?

Here are a bunch of recipes: http://www.food.com/recipe-finder/all/beef-tagine

[intheflow]

12. Ping ping ping!! We have a winner!

I found a few recipes there that will work for me: slow-cooker friendly, I have all the ingredients at hand, and my mouth actually watered a bit looking at some of the photos with the recipes. Thank you!

[bif]

14. You're welcome!

Tagines are wonderful!

[azurnoir]

4. Beef Kalderata Filipino Beef Stew

Ingredients


1 Tablespoon Butter and 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
2 lbs / 1 kilo stewing beef, chopped into 1 ½ - 2” chunks,
6-8 garlic cloves, crushed
2 medium onions, chopped
4-5 Roma/Plum Tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon, freshly ground Black Pepper, or to taste
2 teaspoons, Fish Sauce*
2 Bay leaves
1 cup Beef broth (or water)
1 can of Coconut Milk*
3-4 medium Red potatoes, chopped into 1” cubes
2 medium carrots, sliced into 1” cubes
Additional oil for frying the potatoes and carrots
½ large Red Bell Pepper, chopped
½ large Green Bell Pepper, chopped
1 Chili/hot pepper of choice or ¼-½ teaspoon Red Chili flakes*
2-3 Tablespoons Del Monte Ketchup or tomato sauce
4 Tablespoons, crunchy Peanut Butter
1 Chili/hot pepper of choice or ¼-½ teaspoon Red Chili flakes*

http://www.manilaspoon.com/2013/11/beef-kaldereta-kaldereta-sa-gata.html

[intheflow]

6. Sounds totally yummy but --

I'm lactose intolerant and ALL coconut milk in this house has to go into my coconut milk ice cream.
It is the law of the land!

[cbayer]

5. I like to cook a pot roast with asian spices, and i think you could do the same with

stewing beef.

Soy sauce, sherry, star anise, garlic, ginger.

I do throw potatoes and carrots in for the last 45 minutes or so, then reduce the sauce.

[intheflow]

8. That sounds pretty good.

I haven't cooked with a lot of Asian spices, though, so don't have three of the five ingredients you listed. As I am car-less today, I think I'm going to have to forego this idea. I was thinking maybe a sesame beef, but I don't have all the ingredients I need for that, either.

[flamin lib]

7. Jambalya.

Traditionally pork but why not beef? Use the beef stew meat and add some sausage. Cajun spices and rice cooked in chicken broth with the trinity.

http://www.chefjohnbesh.com/recipes/pork-and-sausage-jambalaya/

[intheflow]

11. Oh, I like Cajun spices!

But, alas!! They don't like me.

[madfloridian]

16. Along with the usual stew stuff, I added diced turnip roots a time or two.

Not the leaves, just the white roots you can buy in the produce section. I go to publix. Gives a good and unusual taste (but only if you like turnips.)

[japple]

27. A little late to the discussion, but I add turnips to all of my stews and soups. It had a wonderful

depth of flavor that is hard to describe. Parsnips will do the same thing, although they are sweeter. Turnips add a bit of bite!

[A Simple Game]

17. Replace some or all of the potatoes with Brussels sprouts. n/t

[intheflow]

18. Now that's a pretty cool idea.

My SO loves Brussels sprouts and insists we plant some every summer in the garden. I am not a Brussels sprouts kind of girl, but I've always liked the idea of Brussels sprouts. I think I haven't liked them as they've been presented to me, boiled to tastelessness. However, I do like some cabbage stews, so this may be a way for both my SO and I to enjoy them. Thanks!

[A Simple Game]

19. Where I used to work we had some visitors from Nova Scotia, Canada staying at the guest house.

I was one of a few invited to supper one night and the lady made beef stew for us. I can't remember if there were any potatoes in it, I don't think there were, but there were brussels sprouts and the stew was excellent.

I assume they were added later in the process.

[Bibliovore]

25. Have you tried roasted Brussles sprouts?

They can be something of a revelation, if you've only ever had them boiled to oblivion before. Here's a good basic recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-brussels-sprouts-recipe2.html
You can dress them up however you like. They're great with a lemon wedge or two tossed in and baked right along with them (most people don't eat the wedge, but having it in there while you roast adds very nice flavor), and here's a version with bacon:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/roasted-brussels-sprouts-with-bacon-recipe.html

Enjoy!

[pengillian101]

20. I might try a stroganoff for something different n/t

[SheilaT]

21. Hungarian goulash.

Take the stew meat, cut it up.

Cut up the beef and brown in some olive oil. It will probably take two or three batches. Set aside. Cut one good sized onion and a green pepper. Saute in olive oil. Sprinkle with three or four tablespoons of paprika. Melt a couple of tablespoons of butter into the onion and green peppers. Add an equal amount of flour. Brown. Now add chicken or beef broth (your preference), a cup or more, and make a nice almost gravy. Add various seasonings: ground pepper, red pepper (be very generous here), celery seasoning, marjoram, thyme, and basil. Open a can of stewed tomatoes and throw in. Now add some diced potato and sliced carrot. Toss in two or three bay leaves. Make sure the balance of liquid/solid looks good. Cover. If you're using a good Dutch oven, put in the oven at about 300 degrees for three or four hours. Otherwise, on stove top at simmer for about two to three hours. Taste. Adjust seasonings. Make sure the potatoes and carrots are tender. If it doesn't have a good bite at this point, add generous amounts of red pepper and/or paprika. You do not want this dish to be mild and inoffensive.

This can be served over noodles if you like.

Personally, I like a lot of salt, so I generally do not add salt in the cooking process but when I'm getting ready to eat.

Haven't made this in far to long. I should do it soon.

[dem in texas]

22. Carne Guisada

This recipe comes from Rock Springs, Texas, out in West Texas, near the Mexican border. I added the celery after I'd cooked it a few times. I have this recipe posted on my cooking web site, Jalapeno Cafe

1 to 1 ¼ pound round steak, chopped into very tiny pieces, rolled in flour and seasoned with salt and pepper.
2 tablespoons flour (for roux)
1 to 2 tablespoon oil
1 onion, chopped
3 or 4 fresh jalapenos chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
½ cup chopped celery
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cups beef or chicken stock
1-teaspoon chili powder
2 to 3 teaspoons ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste.

Heat oil in Dutch oven or large skillet. When hot, add the floured beef pieces and fry until very brown and crisp. Remove meat from skillet.

To make the roux, add the two tablespoons of flour. You may need to add a little more oil. Stir and mix the flour with the oil and cook until the mixture is golden brown
Add the meat and other ingredients and mix well. When stew starts to simmer, turn heat to low and cover and cook about 45 minutes to an hour until the meat is tender. If soup liquid gets low, add more stock or water. Taste and adjust the seasoning. What gives this stew its distinctive taste is the cumin.

Out in West Texas, they serve the stew “dry” so it can be spooned into a warm flour tortilla to be rolled up and eaten. To serve this way, reduce the amount of stock to one cup and watch closely while cooking and only add enough liquid to keep from burning. If the stew is too “wet,” cook at a higher temperature until the liquid is cooked away.

I like to make mine soupier and I serve it over cooked rice with warm flour tortillas and guacamole salad. It tastes even better when warmed over the next day.

Makes 3 or 4 servings, or if spooned into tortillas, it will feed 5 or 6.

[intheflow]

23. Sounds lovely, but I don't know about the jalapenos.

We are serious white people with white people constitutions. It's not that we don't likes spices (I'm ALL OVER the large amount of cumin in this recipe!), it's that we can't take the heat even though we live in (technically) the Southwest. For instance: Rotel Mild is too spicy for us. But regular bell peppers are fine for us. Do you think it would taste okay if I ditched the jalapenos and doubled-up on the bell peppers?

[dem in texas]

24. Leaving out the Jalapenos

I think you could leave out the jalapenos if you think they will bother you. Or maybe just use one and don't put in the seeds or white membrane (those are the hottest parts). But I don't think you would want more than one green bell pepper in it.

[pengillian101]

26. That sounds delicious!

Thanks for posting it. I printed it and will make it soon.