Stew with only meat veg gravy

[Oreyt]

I don't have a slow cooker either.

How do you make yours?

Thanks!

I wouldn’t use gravy granules. Use a stock cube or jelly stock cube, and mix with water. Add herbs, Worcestershire sauce, tin of tomatoes and some English mustard if you are making your own.

But if you aren’t confident just buy a Coleman’s or Schwartz packet for beef casserole, they taste fine and take the guess work out of it. I would always use my oven too. Less pot watching, if it’s on the stove you have to keep checking the bottom isn’t sticking and that it isn’t getting dry. In the oven with the lid on it needs only the odd check.

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Brown meat, remove, add onions, carrots, leeks etc and brown in same pan, put meat back in and add water and stock cubes, seasonings, wine, beer or cider if using, bring to boil and simmer for eg 50 mins (chicken) 90 mins (stewing beef). I add pearl barley with the stock and dumplings 25 mins before end, you don't need any other thickening then

What you're doing sounds OK. I tend to havevit in the oven mostly so it doesn't stick to the bottom. Keep an eye on it and check it doesn't need salt and pepper.

Jesus, don’t add gravy granules!

The stock, juices from the meat and veg and the reduced wine (if used) will make the sauce for the stew. You very much do not need nor want gravy granules adding.

Toss meat in well seasoned flour and brown it in your casserole dish.
Remove, then add onions, celery, carrots and cook until tender.
Deglaze the pan by adding a splash wine or stock and using your wooden spoon to scrap up any nice coloured bits off the bottom of the pan.
Add the meat back in with the rest of the stock, any other veg (I like cannellini beans myself) and herbs.
Cover, and simmer on the hob or in a low oven until tender.

The flour you tossed the meat in will thicken the sauce as it cooks.

Will the dumplings cook on the hob though

Yes, they'll just remain stodgy/fluffy and not crisp up on the top - but they will be cooked.

Yes, it’s the sauce and heat that cooks the dumplings. They will cook through on the hob just fine.

If you are worried about it tasting plain add some garlic, tomato paste and a bouquet garni or bay leaf

Thanks all.

A decent stew takes time and is never boiled! There’s an old saying “ a stew boiled is a stew spoiled”
Fy the steak, add carrots, celery and onionsadd flour then the beef stock, replace lid, turn down to a simmer where the bubbles barely break the surface, and leave to cook for 2-3 hours to tenderise meat. Twenty minutes before the end of cooking time, raise heat setting add dumplings, replace lid.

Common? It’s vital, it’s the making of it. Oxtail soup is not the way to go! A stew without gravy is just a pile of meat and veg!

Don’t burn your bum, though!

I'd just put meat and veg in a casserole dish for the oven or large saucepan on the hob, bring to the boil and then simmer until meat is nice and tender. You can add herbs, wine, or whatever seasoning you fancy. I then thicken with gravy granules. Add potatoes (if not serving separately) about 25 minutes before dishing up. Sometimes I faff around with frying onions and reducing wine etc but the above recipe tastes just fine for a stress free meal.

I fryi to seal meat and soften onion, leek etc on hob. Sprinkle with flour. Add root veg and stock then season and bring to a simmer. Put in oven for minimum 45 minutes, longer for tougher stewing meat or boned meat like lamb shanks, until veg are soft and meat tender.

Aunt Bessie dumplings added 20 minutes before done. Can be cooked on hob if pot has lid.

Strange how people think gravy spoils it.

With shepherds pie I use a packet mix but what else can you use with stew?

Stock and flour, much less gloopy than granules!

To thicken at end you can mix a ladle of the juice with a spoon of flour to a paste , add back to the casserole and simmer to thicken.

If it needs thickening I would use cornflour in either a little bit of cold water or some of the stew liquid cooled down a bit. Stir the cornflour mixture into the stew and it will thicken nicely. You don’t need to add flavour at this stage from something like gravy granules because the slow cooking will have developed lots of flavour in the liquid provided it’s well seasoned and you didn’t add too much water in the beginning.

I put everything into a casserole dish and then straight into the oven for 2 hours. Stock cube, bottle of brown ale, couple of bayleaves and a bit of thyme. Thicken with cornflour near the end if needed.

Get a slow cooker - they are dirt cheap - seem to be in every charity shop too

That's almost how I do it. It always tastes wonderful!

You don't need any kind of gravy granules or packet mix. The seasoned flour you brown your meat with will thicken the stew. The flavour is all there in the meat, veg, herbs, stock what ever else you add (L&P's, wine, marmite, balsamic etc)

Low and slow for a stew, always.