Small beef stew problem...

[evan]

I'm making a traditional beef stew for dinner today:

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/beef-stew-in-red-wine-sauce

My plan was to let it stay on low heat on the oven for some hours so that the meat would becone soft and tender.

To my horror, I just realized that I didn't turn down the heat enough, so it has been boiling for 30 minutes smileys/frown.gif

Is it beyond saving, you think?

 

[karennoca]

I guess it is too late for an answer now, how did it turn out? I would think that if you

immediately lowered the heat after discovering the 30 minute boil, it should have been a decent stew dish.

 

[melissa-dallas]

Ithink dishes like this are pretty forgiving. My guess is that it will be fine.

 

[evan]

It turned out wonderful! I made a crisis phone call to my MIL

and she told me to let it simmer for some time and it would be fine (she knows everything! smileys/smile.gif ) and I did.

 

[CathyZ]

Eva, the thing about stew is....

Stew is more a method than a "recipe". Stew was designed by ancient people to use cuts of meat that would be almost inedible using different cooking methods. And whatever was available from the garden or pantry.

Cook it hard then cook it slow is pretty normal for stew. Add wine to break down the meat, veggies & herbs to flavor. "Forgiving" is almost an understatement. Use almost anything that you have around to make it; that is another "rule" from old times.

 

[karennoca]

Sometime, try pomegrante balsamic to stew or soup, 1 or 2 Tbs. depending on how much is made

I read somewhere that if you make pasta sauce, soup, stew and it is good but needs a pop, to add a balsamic vinegar. It works.
Yesterday, I braised lamb shanks in the usual veggies and a red wine, fresh thyme, fresh bay leaves and it needed something. I added 2 tbs. of my pomegranate balsamic and Bingo!

 

[evan]

I haven't seen pomegranate balsamic in the stores here (that's the down side

of living in this remote corner of the world).

I did add honey, though. An Italian lady told DH that Italians add honey to soup and stews to complement the flavour, so we started doing that a couple of years ago.

Then a new Italian guy at DH's office told us that the honey thing simply isn't true. smileys/bigsmile.gif

 

[marilynfl]

Eva, if you have a middle-eastern grocer, you can find pomegranate syrup...which

can be pretty intensive and will work.

 

[evan]

Great tip, marilyn. i'll check next time I go to my local middle.eastern grocery shop.

Our neighbor town actuelly have a great Turkish grocery which might have it in stock.