Please help me save my stew....

[curiousgeorgie]

My nan used to make us lovely beef stew whenever we visited her, it was full of flavour, the meat falling apart and really thick.

Having to go to hospital tomorrow and feeling shaky about it so thought I would treat us all to this deliciousness and it would last 2 days for DH & DD's.

I got the recipe from my mum and followed it perfectly...

Casserole steak
Thyme
Red wine
A packet oxtail soup (apparently!!)
Swede
Turnip
Carrots
Onions
Leeks
Gravy
Salt and pepper

It tastes awful. It just tastes like hot water with bits of tasteless vegetable and chewy meat. I'm a bit gutted...

Potatoes and dumplings to go in later too... But surely they won't save the taste?

How long as it been cooking for? It needs at least 5 hours, IMO.

All the ingredients are right, so it should be delicious.

Ah, so you're not at the dumplings stage yet? Definitely the case that you haven't given it long enough.

I put it all in about 8am... It seriously just tastes like hot water. Will more time help then?

I agree it sounds like it needs longer. Also twice cooked are usually more delicious too.

Okay... So cook for another hour or so and then do potatoes and dumplings... And then cook it again this evening?

Add in a beef stock cube

Did you brown the meat and cook the veg before adding it all together?

You've put in exactly what I put into my casseroles, and they always come out perfect. (Modest emoticon)

I suppose it's possible that you got the quantities wrong, but casseroles are very forgiving IME.

If it still has a water consistency then it hasn't had long enough. Is the lid on? You might want to take the lid off so it reduces down a bit.

If you have to go out, then take it off the hob and put it in the oven on a low-ish heat (120 celcius or so). It's safer than leaving it on the hob and it won't burn on the bottom. I'd cover it loosely.

I boiled the meat, then drained all the scum (?) off then added vegetables?

I will add a stock cube, maybe my gravy wasn't thick enough?

OK. I suspect that's the issue. I think you may have thrown the flavour away with the boiled meat scum.

The usual thing to do is brown the meat in a frying pan with butter and oil, so it's just sealed, and then put add the other ingredients.

I've actually never heard of boiling the meat first....

I'd definitely add a stock cube.

Definitely use a couple off beef and veg stock cubes. And chuck a few bay leaves in if you have any.

How much water did you put in? I add barely any to stew.

boiling the meat and throwing away the juices will have got rid of any flavour :(

Oh dear. Add another stock cube.

Damn... That's what it said to do!

Is it beyond help... Shall I start again?

Worcester sauce. Red wine or ale? A bit of tomato puree. I often make up about 2/300 ml of bisto best instant gravy and throw that in.

If you have too much liquid and all your meat/veg is nearly cooked, you might need to separate the meat and veg from the liquid and give it a good boiling till it concentrates down a bit.

Then add some flavour to the liquid until it is more tasty - then put all the meat and veg back and then add the dumplings.

I only cook my veg for about an hour or so, although the meat and onions will have been simmering for a good hour or two before that.

In one of Jamie Oliver's books he said he compared stew with meat browned and not browned and couldn't tell the difference, so he says don't bother. I don't, I just simmer the meat and onions in beef stock and then add the veg gradually in order of cooking time.

I really want stew now and sadly, we have the right weather for it!

hmm. You should brown the meat (i.e. cook it in the casserole with a tiny bit of fat, so the outside of the meat 'seals' in the flavour, you'l need to stir it a bit to stop it catching) - probably roll it in seasoned flour first too. You also need to reduce the wine when you add it, again to allow the alcohol to evaporate and enhance the flavour.

I don't really know if you can salvage it, adding stock cubes seems to me like adding a load of artificial flavour to it. If you can bear to, and have the time, I'd start again.

It's not been cooking long enough, and you need dumplings to soak up the water in the gravy. Then you will have a nice stew.

Ps do not skimp on salt.

Oh dear
just read the thread

You've cocked it, I'm afraid, you must never boil meat. You've chucked the flavour out.

You could try adding a tin of oxtail soup?

Is it definitely seasoned enough? Stews need plenty of salt. And cooking for hours.

Add 2 oxo cubes.

I am a perpetual cooking disaster...

I tried to make my mums chicken pie two weeks ago and just managed to make a mess.

I think I might let the dog eat the tasteless meat so my hours haven't gone to waste and just let DH order a pizza...

(Sob!)

Oh, don't be put off. You know what went wrong now. There's still time to make another one. Just brown the meat this time!

That's right..you can do it right next time. Stew tastes nice because of being cooked very slowly over a long period of time. You can do it next time!

I would add a tin of chopped tomatoes and a couple of sticks of chopped celery plus a couple of oxo cubes too what you already have and put it in the oven uncovered to reduce it down a bit. The celery really adds a lot of flavour. This will really help op