Than to feed the big company? Prepare a stew with meat!

That's why I like such dishes as ragout with meat - so it's because it's not necessary to strictly adhere to a certain 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 come from - stew? The word itself comes from the French ragoûter, which means to "whet the appetite" (and the French know the sense of food and tasteless dish so they will not call!) However, the stew with these or other additives, vegetables, beans is cooked in so many countries. Surely you've heard about the Irish stew , which is usually made from lamb with potatoes, or all the well-known Hungarian beef from veal or veal. And since the basis of such dishes is a well-stewed fragrant meat with spices in a thick sauce, all this in one form or another can be attributed to a stew. That's why this dish is so popular all over the world, although it can be called differently, and all its charm is just in the sauce that is obtained during cooking (dryish stew - that's not it!)

Of course, and purely vegetable options are great, with pleasure I make them myself, but when a stew with fresh tender meat and vegetables is always a holiday!

How to cook a stew with meat?

We have already found out that the meat on the stew should be taken young, whether it be beef, lamb or pork. As a rule, we take the pulp, cut into small pieces, quickly fry over high heat in vegetable oil or fat, then in the same fat fry the onion, carrots with small cubes or large mugs, rather large (I like to add a vegetable marrow cut into large Cubes), season with your favorite spices and only then add water or broth, and how to cook until ready. If the meat is not very young, then it's better to put it out a little longer, but you need to make sure that all the liquid does not evaporate, better add water more immediately if the vegetables are not too juicy, and do not regret the onions. In general, no matter how many bow in ragout you put, there will not be much - it will all grow and become a component of a delicious sauce, you will not notice it there!

If you cook ragout with meat and vegetables with potatoes, then the meat is good to take young, and it is better to use the potato on the contrary (the young potatoes are good in itself, with oil and garlic, you will agree).

When the meat is already very soft, I add tomato or ketchup to my stew to taste. If you have fresh tomatoes, first zablashiruyte them, peel them, finely cut and lightly put out in oil, and then combine with the rest of the vegetables and meat and let them all smother everything on a small fire until a uniform thick gravy.

You can do in another way - stew with potatoes and with meat

If we prepare a stew with meat in Irish (the so-called "ayrishsti"), then in this case it is necessary to take lamb on bones (neck part or scapula and cut into portions) - it is believed that it is on the bones that the most intense sauce is obtained. In this version, potatoes and meat are laid out layer by layer in a container with thick edges - potatoes are cut from below, cut large, then a layer of meat, spices, onions, then again vegetables. In the Irish version, the obligatory components are lamb (not fried), onions and potatoes. Sometimes take a leek (middle part of the stem), and carrots are often not added at all (although with a carrot, for my taste, the dishes are more fun). And of the spices are usually taken thyme, black pepper peas, well, salt, of course.

But the main nuance, especially beloved by men, is that the Irish stew with meat is cooked in dark beer - they are almost equally divided with water and poured in meat with potatoes and vegetables, bring to a boil, cover the pan and cook on a low heat for about 2, 5 - 3 hours - until the meat is free to separate from the bones.

Honestly, I did not try to cook in beer, but I think that with fresh tender mutton it will be delicious and without beer, although with beer it is worth trying - rather a weekend!