Winter is the classic season for stew. Are you getting a little tired of turkey? Me too. This week I decided to make a beef stew. But strange as it may sound, I feel a little bit of trepidation about this project.
The last time I made beef stew it did not go well, to put it lightly. This was many years ago, back when I was still struggling to learn the basics of cooking. (I still struggle with cooking, but I struggle with slightly more advanced topics these days.) I also had not perfected the art of looking up recipes online. In fact, I'm not sure that I consulted a recipe at all. Big mistake!
Looking back, I think my main problem was that I added too much red wine, and it was probably not the right kind of wine either. I had read somewhere that for cooking you should "only use wine you would drink." I don't remember which kind of wine it was, but I do remember that it was a sweet red wine with berry tones. Quite pleasant to drink. Not so great in stew.
I compounded my mistakes by adding far too much of it. Like half the bottle, when you should only use a splash. I ended up with a huge pot full of something that was purplish in color, had chunks of grey stew meat bobbing in it, and had the bright, sour taste of vomit.
This time I am pretty sure I can do better. For one thing, I will be searing the stew meat first. For another thing, I'm leaving out the wine entirely. Many recipes recommend using beer for a heartier flavor. I'm going to try out this recipe, although I will be making it in the slow cooker instead of the stove top.
Here's hoping this stew turns out better than that last one! Do you have a favorite beef stew recipe or ingredient? (Or disaster?)
Image courtesy Flickr/The Flying Enchilada
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