Stew with only meat veg gravy

[Oreyt]

I don't have a slow cooker either.

How do you make yours?

Thanks!

Just made one for later. Fry meat to brown. Sprinkle on flour and gradually add liquid. Transfer to casserole. Add Chopped veg. You can lightly fry them too, eg the onions, but I think they cook long enough in the oven. Into oven for a couple of hours.

I'm adding suet dumplings 20 mins from the end of the cooking time because my family have recently become obsessed with dumplings.

Thanks. See my mum said she boils the meat first 45 min then adds veg for another 45 min the adds dumplings for 20 min.

I fry the meat first so I want to do it right.

All the recipes online mention wine etc which is too complicated 😂😂

I put the meat, onions, carrots, swede and stock all in together from the start and add potatoes and dumpling for 20-25 minutes at the end. I don’t fry off first for this type of stew.

Do you put it in the oven? I usually keep on stove top.

Your mum's way sounds...not so nice.

https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef/beef-stew/

You don't have to use wine, just use more stock (from a cube), but wine is nice.

You can use onions rather than shallots too.

Can you both give me your step by step recipes 😂😂

I don't want to waste my time and money for my teens to eat toast 😲😲

also lovely with some crusty bread

Why does wine make it complicated?

I use oxtail soup and oxo , if someone gave me a stew with gravy I honestly couldn't eat it l, is that common to use gravy ??

I fry the onions off then toss the meat in seasoned flour and brown it. Then I add the veg and liquid - either stock, tinned tomatoes, wine or beer depending on my mood. Then cook slowly either on the stove top or in the oven. Whichever way I’m cooking it I use a heavy cast iron casserole.
“Boil” is not the right word here, you want to simmer it do that there is movement in the liquid but not vigorous bubbling, if that makes sense.

I'm literally making stew as we 'speak'! It's my mum's old recipe but pretty standard/classic stew I think. I use a big le cruset type dish so start on the hob then slow cook in the oven then it doesn't matter too precisely when we eat!

Season meat well and mix in a tablespoon of flour. Add some oil to the pan, brown the meat & set aside.
Fry off sliced onions, celery & garlic (plus any other root veg you fancy/have to hand). add a bay leaf & some thyme season well.

Add the meat back in then if using, slosh in a small glass of red wine (or red wine stock pots are decent substitutes) bubble away for a minute or 2. Add beef stock, tomato puree, some Lea & Perrins & more seasoning. Bring to the boil then transfer to the oven @ 160 fan for about 3-4 hours. I add carrots about half way through as I don't like them soggy & also check it's not drying out! If you're adding dumplings remove the lid half an hour before the end and sit on top.

Or if you can't be bothered to make dumplings, sliced garlic bread layered on top is very good!

https://www.jamesmartinchef.co.uk/recipes/beef-stew-and-dumplings/

The above is not the recipe I used today but a similar one, also by James Martin. You don't have to use alcohol but it adds extra flavour if you do.

I don't have a casserole I can use on the stove top so I always fry in a frying pan and transfer to a casserole to go in the oven.

Look up Angela Hartnet 'Beef in beer' recipe ... its very good

I’ve made chicken stew for dinner tonight (we don’t eat beef)

mix root veg ( I don’t use potatoes) into a pan with stock, plus a tin of tomato simmer until just about soft but not quite none, I dice the chicken and add this to the almost cooked veg (toss in flour first), then simmer until cooked.

before the meat I add garlic/ginger/mixed herbs (sorry forgot that bit )

I thicken a little if it needs it then make dumplings

50g suet to 100g of sr flour with a pinch of baking powder. The secret with dumplings is to only add enough COLD water to make a dough then immediately drop them into the simmering stew, lid on and do not remove for about 15 minutes m I then sort of push them gently into the gravy if I can.

oh I add a tin of butter beans when I add the chicken.

if you do beef I would brown it first, and it will take longer to cook so add at the same time as the veg.

if you cook it into the oven, it needs to be bubbling when you switch the oven on, you get a richer deeper flavour I think which is nice, but takes a long time to cook. My mum always did a rice pudding with it, or shoved some jackets in to cook to have the next day.

This is what I do.

Brown meat
Add celery and onions and fry

Add leaks carrots turnip with water
Add gravy

Leave 1hr 30

Add dumplings 20 min

All cooked on hob

But I've no idea if this is correct.

This is really easy
I sometimes add chopped bacon, or a bit of marmite
Swap the ale/wine for stock made with an oxo cube or use a red wine stockpot

www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef/beef-and-ale-stew/

Do you all recommend putting it in the oven?

@Oreyt I don't think there's any right or wrong way of doing it but adding gravy (I assume you mean gravy granules gravy?) seems a shame when you have all the meat juices & veg already there to do their work for you! I personally find it much tastier than gravy granules & eat far too much processed rubbish so meals like this try to avoid adding too much but I definitely wouldn't claim this is the only or right way or doing it.

@buffyspikefaithangel oooh yes forgot the marmite - always goes in mine. And if you want to bulk it out, a handful of pearl parley is a good option.

@Oreyt if you like it then it's not wrong. But you could try a different way and see if you like it more. I sometimes put in oven, sometimes on the hob....

Yes gravy granules 😬😬

My grandma was an amazing cook but my mum isn't.

So I just make stuff up and when I told my mum I was doing stew she told me not to fry.

I'm autistic and a Sunday dinner stresses me but at least I know how to cook it.

I don't want to mess this up. Husband already said he won't try it!!

I always cook stew in the oven.

Coat meat in flour then brown in a little oil, add 3 bay leafs, some thyme, carrots, a stick of celery, mushrooms, two onions and swede, some tomato purée, a dash of Worcester sauce and 2 beef stock cubes with water, bring to the boil then into the oven for around 2 and a half hours. I add the doughball mixture 30 mins before serving and turn them once.

In the oven on low for a few hours to get that slow cooked effect

For a beef stew I use

*beef stock pot
*red wine stock
*splash of Worcestershire sauce
*splash of balsamic vinegar
*tomato puree
*garlic
*thyme

The liquid part is delicious and full of flavour

Brown meat add to glass dish Add chopped veg inc potatoes, cover with water, chuck in the oven

About 30 mins in, add gravy granules / stock cubes and sprinkle in some saxo stuffing mix, give a good stir and back in oven.

20 mins to the end add dumplings.

I love stew, or anything one-pot. I cook it on the hob, lowest heat and stir every so often.

From your current method:

Brown meat - make sure you toss it in some flour first. Once browned, take it out and put aside while you sort the veg element.
Add celery and onions and fry - since you're also using leeks, carrots & turnip, I'd add them all at this stage and plenty of seasoning. No water yet.
Add leaks carrots turnip with water - see above
Add gravy - don't add gravy. When your veg has cooked down a bit, add some tomato puree and cook it for a minute or so. Then add a glass of red wine if you're using it (if not don't worry). Add a couple of beef stock cubes/jelly pot things and then some water. I like to add worcestershire sauce too but as with the wine that's optional.
Leave 1hr 30
Add dumplings 20 min