9. Stewing
9.1 Definition
A long, slow method of cooking where food is cut into pieces and cooked in the minimum amount of liquid, water, stock or sauce. The food and the cooking liquid are served together.
When chunks of meat, seafood or vegetables are slow-simmered in a flavorful liquid brew, the result is a warming, comforting dish called a stew. Slow, moist cooking is the best way to tenderize tough cuts of meat (which happen to also be the most flavorful). Stews are also a great way to use up leftovers.
Methods
All stews have a thickened consistency.
- Stewed foods may be cooked in a covered pan on the stove.
- Stewed foods may be cooked in a covered pan in the oven.
9.2 Thickening
Some casserole recipes call for the liquid to be thickened, and this can be done in various ways. The most popular way is to add some flour to the casserole after the meat has been browned (so that it can mingle with the juices and fat in the pan) and before the liquid is added. It is exactly the same principle as for the thickening of a white sauce. Another way to thicken a casserole is to toss the meat in the seasoned flour before browning it. Alternatively, when the casserole has completed cooking, the liquid can be strained off and simmered until slightly reduced and thickened. Or a flour and butter paste can be whisked into the liquid at the end of cooking time: 25 g butter worked into 25 g flour should thicken 570 m) liquid. This butter-flour paste, called beurre manié in classic cooking, can be frozen in blocks in ice-cube trays – but it doesn’t take a minute to make as and when you need it. Add it to the liquid in little flecks, and use a balloon whisk to whisk it in.9.3 Temperature and timing
Vegetables
If vegetables are to be included along with the meat in a casserole, the main consideration is not to cut them too small. This is a common mistake and results in the vegetables disintegrating under the strain of the long cooking. This applies particularly to onions, which if sliced too small can collapse altogether. It’s far nicer, I think, to be able to discern slices of onions that have retained their shape. Vegetables that cook quite quickly (such as green peppers and mushrooms) are usually added to a casserole halfway through or towards the end of cooking time.Cooking temperatures and times
Slowly, slowly is the word that needs to be emphasized here. It is said that the correct simmering temperature is reached when the liquid shows the barest shimmer of movement and an occasional bubble breaks the surface. I have found that, using heavy flameproof casserole, the ingredients for a beef casserole can be brought slowly up to simmering point on top of the stove, then transferred to the middle or low shelf of a pre-heated oven. Gas mark 1, 140°C is gentle enough to produce the very best results. But ovens vary and different types of cooking pots will affect temperatures too, so you may have to adjust the oven temperature accordingly.The time a casserole takes to cook will vary from 2-2½ hours for chuck, blade and thick flank, up to 4 hours for shin, leg and neck. Pork cuts for braising and casseroling normally take 1½ hours, and lamb much the same.
Skimming
If a fair amount of fat has come out of the meat during the cooking, it will settle on the surface and can be removed by tilting the casserole slightly and spooning off with a large kitchen spoon. And if there’s still some left, another tip is to float two or three pieces of absorbent kitchen paper on the surface – this should soak up any fat remaining. Of course, if you’ve had time to make the casserole in advance, the fat on the surface will solidify as it cools and can then just be lifted off. Which brings me to:Reheating
Many casseroles seem to improve in flavour if kept overnight (cool them quickly and keep them in a refrigerator, by the way, once they’re cold). This means it’s quite possible to make two casseroles while the oven is in full swing, and keep one for the next day. The reheating must be done very thoroughly, though, either on top of the stove over a very low heat or in an oven heated to gas mark 3, 170°C. Either way, the food must come up to a gentle simmer and maintain that temperature for 30 minutes to kill off any harmful bacteria. So it will take 45 minutes in all.9.4 Food types suitable for stewing
| Examples of foods which you might choose to cook by stewing: |
| Fish, e.g. bouillabaisse (French fish soup/stew) Meat, e.g. goulash, minced beef, Irish stew, white stew of veal Poultry, e.g. chicken fricassee, curried chicken Vegetables, e.g. ratatouille |
Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables (such as carrots, potatoes, beans, peppers and tomatoes, etc.), meat, especially tougher meats suitable for slow-cooking, such as beef. Poultry, sausages, and seafood are also used. While water can be used as the stew-cooking liquid, wine, stock, and beer are also common. Seasoning and flavorings may also be added. Stews are typically cooked at a relatively low temperature (simmered, not boiled), allowing flavors to mingle.
Stewing is suitable for the least tender cuts of meat that become tender and juicy with the slow moist heat method. This makes it popular in low-cost cooking. Cuts having a certain amount of marbling and gelatinous connective tissue give moist, juicy stews, while lean meat may easily become dry.
The following points apply to different foods when stewing:
1. Stewing is an ideal method for cooking tougher (and therefore cheaper) cuts of meat that require slower cooking over a longer time. This longer cooking time allows for flavours to interchange between the food and the liquid.
2. When stewing red meat for a brown stew cut it into cubes about 2 - 3cm thick then place meat in a hot frying pan with oil to brown and seal it.
3. Meat juices caramelise in the pan as a result of this frying. This sediment is then added to the stew for flavour and colour. Deglazing removes these juices.
4. Red meat for a white stew should be blanched first.
5. The cooking liquid should just cover the food being stewed. This liquid can also be thickened and flavoured prior to stewing.
6. Cheaper cuts of beef, lamb, pork, chicken and game can be used for stewing.
7. A variety of fish and seafood can be stewed.
8. The stewing of fish needs to be over a gentle heat. If the heat is too high, the flesh of the fish to break up.
9. Vegetables such as potatoes, onions, carrots, eggplants, zucchinis tomatoes and capsicum are suitable for stewing.
10. Fruits can be stewed in a syrup made from water and a sweetener. Suitable fruits for stewing include apples, pears, stone fruit, rhubarb and berries. Sometimes, to keep the stewed fruits immersed in the stewing liquid, they are covered with a greaseproof paper lid, called a cartouche. A plate or saucepan lid serves the same purpose.
11. Before stewing dried fruits, they need to be placed in cold water to rehydrate.
Stews can be thickened by both the ingredients in the stew, such as potatoes in an Irish stew, or by the use of a thickener such as flour. A liaison is sometimes used to thicken and enrich white stews.
Using similar methods to braising, the colour of the sauce is achieved by the following:
1. when the meat is sealed at the beginning
2. if a mirepoix is used. The vegetables are first browned which adds colour and enhances the flavour
3. when a good brown stock is used
4. if the stock or sauce is reduced on completion of cooking
Also, many foods can be marinated before stewing.Stews are also known by traditional names, as follows:
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Stewing can be carried out using a variety of equipment and in varying sizes. In the oven a variety of casserole bowls made from glass, stone/pottery and cast iron can be used. On top of the stove various size stainless steel saucepans are used. Whatever pan you choose, it should have a tight fitting lid. For large quantities you could use a bratt pan.
9.7 Advantages
- The meat juices are retained as part of the stew
- Correct slow cooking results in very little evaporation
- It is economic on fuel
- Nutrients are conserved
- Tough foods are tenderized
- Economical in labour because foods can be bulk cooked
Disadvantages
- Slow method
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