• Stew was:chuck steaks

    From Dave Drum@1:3634/12 to NANCY BACKUS on Wednesday, May 01, 2019 06:55:00
    NANCY BACKUS wrote to DAVE DRUM <=-

    Daddy'd get chuck stew beef that we used for stew... generally cooked
    in the pressure cooker, back in the day....

    I've never understood people who buy pre-cut stew meat. When I was
    very young and on my own (and teaching myself to shop/cook/survive) I
    was at the Piggly Wiggly stupormarkup and there was stew beef next to chuck roasts so the comparison was *very* easy. The pre-cut meat was
    25% more costly than the roast .... and a little light bulb went off in
    my gourd as I mused "Hmmmmmm, less for the whole enchilada and I *do*
    own a knife and a cutting board." Plus you get to freeze the bones
    until you have enough for a nice pot of beef stock.

    I think Daddy managed to get a deal on the pre-cut... he might have cut
    it down himself at some point, but by the time I was helping cook, he
    was getting the pre-cut stuff, as I never had to cut it down, that I remember, anyway.... Cutting up the veggies for the stew, yes.... We made it with canned tomatoes and their juice, instead of the thicker gravy.... Probably it went farther that way....

    Seldom had 'maters (as such) in beef stew. Tomato paste, yes. And
    tatties, carrots, peas (in season), onion, sometimes a neep (not often).

    And I often omit the tomato entirely.

    MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

    Title: Craig Claiborne's Drunken Beef Stew
    Categories: Beef, Vegetables, Herbs, Wine
    Yield: 8 servings

    4 lb Boneless chuck
    1/4 c Olive oil
    Salt & fresh ground pepper
    1 tb Fine chopped garlic
    2 c Coarse chopped onion
    6 tb Flour
    4 c Dry red wine
    2 c Water
    4 Whole cloves
    1 Bay leaf
    1/2 ts Thyme
    6 Sprigs parsley; tied in a
    - bundle
    1 1/2 lb Carrots; scraped, trimmed,
    - in 1" segments

    Cut the meat into 2" cubes.

    Using a large skillet, heat the oil and add the beef
    cubes in one layer. Add salt and pepper and cook,
    stirring and turning the pieces often, for about 10
    minutes.

    Add the garlic and onions and cook, stirring
    occasionally, for another 10 minutes. Sprinkle with
    flour and stir to coat the meat evenly.

    Add the wine and stir until the mixture boils and
    thickens. Stir in the water. Add the cloves, bay leaf,
    thyme and parsley. Cover closely and simmer for one
    hour.

    Meanwhile, cut the carrots into 1" lengths. If the
    pieces are very large, cut them in half lengthwise. Add
    them to the beef. Cover and continue cooking for 30
    minutes, or until the carrots are tender.

    Serve the stew sprinkled with chopped parsley.

    UDD NOTES: A 375ml jug of red wine is my functional
    equivalent of 4 cups. I generally cut my chuck to a
    smaller dice that Claiborne does. And I sometime will
    substitute a bag of "baby" carrots for the "large"
    carrots.

    YIELD: 8 servings (with leftovers - UDD)

    RECIPE FROM: https://cooking.nytimes.com

    Uncle Dirty Dave's Kitchen

    MMMMM


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  • From Ruth Haffly@1:396/45.28 to Dave Drum on Wednesday, May 01, 2019 15:37:56
    Hi Dave,

    I think Daddy managed to get a deal on the pre-cut... he might have cut
    it down himself at some point, but by the time I was helping cook, he
    was getting the pre-cut stuff, as I never had to cut it down, that I remember, anyway.... Cutting up the veggies for the stew, yes.... We made it with canned tomatoes and their juice, instead of the thicker gravy.... Probably it went farther that way....

    Seldom had 'maters (as such) in beef stew. Tomato paste, yes. And
    tatties, carrots, peas (in season), onion, sometimes a neep (not
    often).

    I've been making my beef stew with tomato for a while now. Used to make
    it all the time with water, turned into gravy, as that's the way I'd
    been brought up but tried the tomato for extra flavor and like it that
    way. I'll add mushrooms, and sometimes, a twig of fresh rosemary. Tried
    using the dried rosemary but it was too strong; the fresh gives it a
    milder flavor (discard twig before serving).


    And I often omit the tomato entirely.

    Your choice.

    ---
    Catch you later,
    Ruth
    rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net FIDO 1:396/45.28


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  • From NANCY BACKUS@1:123/140 to DAVE DRUM on Thursday, May 02, 2019 16:13:00
    Quoting Dave Drum to Nancy Backus on 05-01-19 06:59 <=-

    I think Daddy managed to get a deal on the pre-cut... he might have cut
    it down himself at some point, but by the time I was helping cook, he
    was getting the pre-cut stuff, as I never had to cut it down, that I
    remember, anyway.... Cutting up the veggies for the stew, yes.... We
    made it with canned tomatoes and their juice, instead of the thicker
    gravy.... Probably it went farther that way....

    Seldom had 'maters (as such) in beef stew. Tomato paste, yes. And tatties, carrots, peas (in season), onion, sometimes a neep (not
    often). And I often omit the tomato entirely.

    I rarely add the tomatoes now when I make stew, although I've done once
    in a while.... Growing up, it was carrots, potatoes and onions... and a
    bay leaf... maybe parsley flakes, too.... Now, I'll usually add celery
    and fresh garlic to that... not so often the bay leaf, and don't have
    parsley flakes on hand either.... and will also add whatever happens to
    be on hand to toss in as well at times... :)

    ttyl neb

    ... Contrary to popular belief, a cat is NOT a domesticated animal!

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