Beef Stew

You start all good soups out with a good soup stock. I recommend you use a homemade bone broth for your soup base - chicken, beef, lamb, and fish are all wonderful. Choose which to use based on the soup you'd like to make. If you're not sure, chicken stock is almost always a safe, flavorful bet.

Next you choose your meats. Lean, juicy meats are the best for soups. Again, you choose what you want based upon your recipe. Beef, veal, lamb, chicken, turkey, fish, and shellfish are all good candidates for a tasty soup. Tender, fresh meats make for a delightful soup, but you can also use tougher cuts of meat for hearty stews. Get fresh meat regardless of the tenderness - a stale meat can ruin your soup (and possibly your health!)

Soups call for mingling of all flavors, and you don't particularly want one to overcome the other. However, there are stews that are strongly flavored, such a beef stew featuring balsamic vinegar. These are fine, and use your judgement and decide how your family likes the meal.

I don't want you to get the impression that soups are complicated. They're actually not. In fact, soups are usually really easy. Some may require a little more effort - but if you have a good soup stock and high-quality ingredients, your soup is probably going to taste good!

The beauty of a soup is that you often just throw the ingredients in a pot and let it simmer for a few hours, then enjoy a rich, flavorful dish. If you use homemade soup stocks it's not only tasty, it's healing. Homemade chicken soup really does help heal the body.

To get the best flavor from your soup plan a few hours for it to cook and keep it at a gentle simmer. You don't want to boil it to death. You can cook your soup with or without a lid. Many chefs swear that soups should be cooked in a pot with a lid. I haven't noticed much difference and my family doesn't complain much. I like using soup recipes. They generally remove all uncertainty with making a good soup - they outline completely what will make the soup tasty! Just follow your recipe. Add the meats and veggies it calls for.

If it calls for water to start with you can usually use a broth. In fact, I always use broth in a soup that calls for water unless you're adding a bone to the soup (such as a ham bone or beef bones). Using a broth will give you a more flavorful soup. Some recipes, like those for beet soups, will state not to use broth. In that case, follow the recipe.

Add any herbs, spices, and flavored oils and vinegars the recipe calls for. If you're new to cooking and new to soups, measure out just what the recipe describes. After you've been making the soup for awhile you can get more adventurous. You'll find you get a feel for how much of "this or that" to add to your soup to give it the best flavor.

Some soups call for ingredients to be added just before serving. Lemon or lime juice is one ingredient often added just before serving a bean soup. Even if you feel unsure about the taste I recommend you give it a try - these ingredients often add a delicious taste to the soup. They give it more character and flavor. Pay attention to the serving instructions - some soups should be served with garnishes such as cream or cheese. With a little practice you'll soon become good at putting together a quick soup. Soups are easy, filling, and tasty ways to please your family on cold days!

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Lamb is a wonderful meat for slow cooking because it comes out so tender and flavorful. If you enjoy the taste and texture of this ingredient, you will love the following recipes for stew because they are simple to make and the results are spectacular.

Recipe for Leg of Lamb Stew with Vegetables

This flavorful dish is rich in fresh vegetables and the garlic, bay leaves, and oregano add plenty of flavor as well. Leg of lamb is very healthy and it is nineteen percent leaner than the shoulder meat.

This stew is nice served with warm pita bread or rice and it makes enough to serve eight people. If you like, you can make this ahead and refrigerate it for up to two days. Reheat it in the oven, in a microwave or on the stove.

What you will need:

• 1 1/2 lbs lean boneless lamb leg


• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley


• 2 thinly sliced onions


• 6 bay leaves


• 1/2 lb trimmed green beans


• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano


• 4 minced cloves garlic


• 14 oz can diced tomatoes


• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt


• Black pepper


• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil


• 1 zucchini, in 1/2 inch slices


• 1 eggplant, in 1/2 inch slices


• 1 big potato, in 1/2 inch slices

How to make it:

Trim the meat and cut it in to 1 1/4 inch pieces. Season it with quarter of a teaspoon of salt and some black pepper. Heat half a tablespoon of oil in a skillet and add half the lamb. Sear it for a few minutes, until it is browned. Put it in a slow cooker and repeat with the remaining meat.

Add the rest of the oil and saute the onions for five minutes. Add the oregano and garlic and saute for another minute. Add the tomatoes and bring the mixture to a simmer, mashing it with a fork or masher. Spoon half the mixture into the slow cooker.

Arrange the sliced potatoes over the top and season with some salt and pepper. Add the green beans and then the zucchini and eggplant. Season each layer with salt and pepper.

Spread the rest of the tomato mixture over the top and arrange the bay leaves on there. Cover and cook on high for four hours or until the vegetables and meat are tender. Discard the bay leaves and serve garnished with parsley.

Another Simple Recipe for Lamb Stew

What you will need:

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless lean lamb stew meat, in 1 inch cubes


• 1 thinly sliced onion


• 1/4 cup all purpose flour


• 1 teaspoon salt


• 1 cup baby carrots


• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper


• 2 cups diced rutabaga


• 1 cup peas


• 2 cups water


• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

How to make it:

Sprinkle half the salt over the meat and some of the pepper, and then coat it with flour. Heat the oil in a pot over a moderately high heat and brown the meat in batches. Transfer it to the crockpot. Add the onion to the pot on the stove and cook it for four minutes or until browned.

Stir in the water and scrape any burnt bits off the bottom. Transfer the cooked onion mixture to the slow cooker and add the rutabaga and carrots. Cover and cook for eight to ten hours on low, adding the peas during the final half an hour.

Lamb features in some of the best crockpot recipes but you can also use beef, chicken or another meat to make these wonderful dishes. If you like chicken, you will love crockpot white chicken chili because it is easy to prepare and so delicious.

The Best Crockpot Recipes Start With Our Recipes - BestCrockpotRecipes.net

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