The Republican., 1940-12-05
Homemakers' Column
Edited by Miss Mildred Barton, Home
Demonstration Agent for Garrett
County, Oakland.
A STEW BY ANY OTHER NAME

A STEW BY ANY OTHER NAME
Most stews start with low-priceC
meats, which after all are just as nu-
tritious as the higher-priced steaks
and chops. Less tender cuts, cooked
long and slowly, make tender and
savory stews. Tidbits and small pieces
of tender meat can be used to advan-
tage in stews.
No hard-and-fast rules bind the
cook when making stew. But if she's
wise, she'll start by browning the
meat in hot fat. That's what gives the
stew its rich flavor and deep brown
color Meat dipped in flour before
browning has a special well-liked fla
vor. Finish cooking the meat in water,
barely enough to cover. A low tenn
perature-simering, not boiling
softens the connective tissue and
makes the meat tender.
Long cooking for the meat, short
cooking for the vegetables-is a good
slogan to follow in making stews.
Modern cooks know that food values
disappear when vegetables are over
cooked. SO wait until almost serving
time before adding the vegetables,
and cook them only until they are ten
der. Short cooking means full flavor,
bright color, and firm texture for the
vegetables.
When choosing vegetables for the
stew, think of the color and flavor
combinations you want when the dish
is served. Carrots, potatoes and onions
are a favorite combination, but only a
starter for the cook with imagination.
Lima beans, tomatoes and corn are
used in Brunswick stew, a typically
American dish named after a county
in Virginia. Turnips, rutabagas or
parsnips are starchy vegetables that
double for potatoes. To add a green
color choose Brussels sprouts, cab
bage, peas, green pepper or snap
beans.
Important as the vegetables are,
meat is the backbone of any good
stew. When buying beef for stew, you
might choose the heel of round. It's a
well-flavored, boneless cut from above
the hind shank The meat of the fore
shank is also good cut for steWing.
Although it has quite a bit of bone,
you can easily trim off the meat and
cut it into uniform pieces. The flank
is an excellent stew meat, even though
the fibers are coarse. The neck, short
ribs, plate and brisket are also suit
able
Veal and lamb riblets, made by cut
ting between the ribs of the breast,
are excellent for stew. So are small,
very lean shoulders and irregularly
shaped pieces Of veal, lamb or pork.
Meat organs are another, good ad-
dition to your list of stew meats.
Many of them are low in price, and
they add vitamins and minerals to the
meal. Beef kidneys take precedence
wherever there's an Englishman, but
calf, lamb and pork kidneys will do as
well. Heart, tongue and liver can also
be stewed.
It's the little extra touches that
make the stew a dish of distinction.
Dumplings are a great favorite, and
they can easily be cooked in the COW
cred kettle right along with the meat
and vegetables. Allow the last Is
minutes before serving time, for
cooking the dumplings. But don't be
inquisitive while the dumplings are
steaming. They get along better if
you leave the kettle covered tightly.
Serve pancakes and sour cream
gravy with the stew, if you want to
do it the Russian way. If your stew
is the chop suey type, serve it with
rice and fried noodles. If it's an Ital-
ian meat mixture, use spaghetti or
macaroni as a starchy accompani-
ment.