That's why I like dishes such as ragout with meat -so this is because it is not necessary to strictly adhere to a recipe. Of course, you need to know the basis of the dish, and then trust your intuition, add what you like depending on the season or exclude the component that is not available or you do not like it - in the end it always turns out slightly differently, and rarely when You'll spoil it. In addition, you can immediately feed the whole company - enough for everyone!
Where did the name go - stew?The word itself comes from the French ragoûter, which means “whet the appetite” (and the French know a lot about food and they don’t call it that good!) However, stews with various additives, vegetables, beans are cooked in very many countries. Surely you've heard about the Irish stew (Irish Stew), which is usually made of lamb with potatoes, or the well-known Hungarian beef or veal goulash. And since the basis of such dishes is well stewed aromatic meat with spices in thick gravy, all this in one form or another can be attributed to stews. That is why this dish is so popular all over the world, although it may be called differently, and all its charm is just in the sauce, which is obtained during the cooking process (dry stew is no longer that!)
Of course, purely vegetable versions are great, I make them myself with pleasure, but when a stew with fresh tender meat and vegetables is always a holiday!
How to cook stew with meat?
We have already found that the meat on the stew must be takenyoung, whether it's beef, lamb or pork. As a rule, we take the flesh, cut into small pieces, quickly fry over high heat in vegetable oil or fat, then in the same fat they fry onions, carrots, coarsely cut into half rings, or large circles (I like to add more zucchini, cut into large cubes), seasoned with your favorite spices and only then add water or broth, and how to stew until ready. If the meat is not very young, then it is better to stew a little longer, but you need to make sure that all the liquid does not evaporate, better add a little more water immediately, if the vegetables are not too juicy, and don’t regret onions. Generally, no matter how much you put the onion in the stew, there will not be much - it will all blend and turn into a component of a tasty sauce, and you will not notice it there!
Если рагу с мясом и овощами вы готовите вместе с potatoes, it is good to take meat young, and on the contrary it is better to use potatoes (young potatoes are good in and of themselves, with butter and garlic, agree).
When the meat is already quite soft, then Iadd to tomato stew or ketchup to taste. But if you have fresh tomatoes, first zapped them, peeled, finely chopped and lightly stewed in butter, and then combined with the rest of the vegetables and meat and let everything else continue over low heat until a uniform thick gravy.
You can do it differently - stews with potatoes and meat
Если готовим рагу с мясом по-ирландски (так called “Irish stitch”), then in this case lamb on the bones is taken (the neck or scapula is cut into portions) - it is believed that it is on the stones that the most rich sauce is obtained. In this version of the dish, the potatoes and meat are laid out in layers in a container with thick edges - the potatoes are laid at the bottom, coarsely chopped, then a layer of meat, spices, onions, then vegetables again. In the Irish version of the mandatory components - lamb (not fried), onions and potatoes. Sometimes they take leeks (the middle part of the stem), and carrots are often not added at all (although with carrots, for my taste, the dishes are more fun). And from seasonings often take thyme, black pepper, well, and salt, of course.
But the main nuance, especially beloved by men,is that Irish stew with meat is cooked in a dark beer - they are almost equal to water and poured meat with potatoes and vegetables, brought to a boil, cover the pan with a lid and cook on low heat for about 2.5 - 3 hours - until until the meat is free to separate from the bones.
Honestly, I did not try to cook in beer, but I think that it will be tasty with fresh delicate lamb without beer, although it is worth trying with beer - it would be a weekend!
