My lunch today was home made beef stew that my wife prepared this weekend. I believe every single ingredient was fresh, with the exception of seasonings. The flavor was outstanding!

Amazing how excited I can get my in-laws making chicken soup from scratch.

Beef stew is still a mystery, though. The thickening of gravy continues to vex me.

When I was a kid, my Grandfather was a butcher. My Grandmother used to make Chicken Soup. Everything from the garden, the chicken was running around not that long before it went into the pot.
BEST SOUP EVER!

The only thing that upsets me is that she never wrote the recipes down. She was off the boat from Poland, everything she cooked was always from memory, and "A pinch" or "A little/big handful" of whatever. I've tried to re-create it, I've come close, but never exact.

You're absolutely right, there's just something about good, homemade food.

I made homemade Chicken Alfredo and a loaf of homemade bread yesterday. My kids were all over it. So much better than sauce from a jar.

quote:

Originally posted by Woodman:
The thickening of gravy continues to vex me.

Mix 2T cornstarch into about 1/2C cold water until smooth, then add slowly to the hot liquid.

quote:

...The only thing that upsets me is that she never wrote the recipes down. She was off the boat from Poland, everything she cooked was always from memory, and "A pinch" or "A little/big handful" of whatever. I've tried to re-create it, I've come close, but never exact.

Reminds me of trying to get a recipe from my grandmother (Italian):
ME: How much, Grandma?
GM: I don't know, some. You'll know.

quote:

Originally posted by Rover88:

quote:

...The only thing that upsets me is that she never wrote the recipes down. She was off the boat from Poland, everything she cooked was always from memory, and "A pinch" or "A little/big handful" of whatever. I've tried to re-create it, I've come close, but never exact.

Reminds me of trying to get a recipe from my grandmother (Italian):
ME: How much, Grandma?
GM: I don't know, some. You'll know.

Mine used to say, "Until it looks right."

And, homemade stew is some pretty good stuff, but it's not exactly stew weather around here.

quote:

Originally posted by Woodman:
Amazing how excited I can get my in-laws making chicken soup from scratch.

Beef stew is still a mystery, though. The thickening of gravy continues to vex me.

corn starch

quote:

Originally posted by Jeff Yarchin:

quote:

Originally posted by Woodman:
Amazing how excited I can get my in-laws making chicken soup from scratch.

Beef stew is still a mystery, though. The thickening of gravy continues to vex me.

corn starch

I put milk and flour in a mason jar and shake it up. Then add it until the desired thickness.

Thicken beef stew? Don’t y’all use the potatoes that dissolve when stewed?

quote:

Originally posted by konata88:
Thicken beef stew? Don’t y’all use the potatoes that dissolve when stewed?

This is what makes a great beef stew. No corn starch, no flour.

I've had the privilege to stay with some "momma's" all over the world and universally they will never tell you the recipe, because they really don't know.

What you have to do is really get in there and learn. A pinch of salt is a different unit than a pinch of oregano...hahaha!

quote:

Member

You’ve learned well Grasshopper