We start with the fragrant base of the dish As well as soups, fried onions, carrots, celery and seasonings add flavor to the stew. To make the stew tasty, it is very important to pay due attention to this stage: the onion must be fried until golden brown, the sugars contained in the vegetables should caramelize, and the herbs should reveal their aroma. In the meantime, you can chop the vegetables. Less is better, but better In a stew, it is better to use no more than 5 types of vegetables (except for those that are the fragrant basis of the dish). When choosing ingredients, remember to balance shapes, sizes, colors, textures, and flavors. Choose vegetables based on seasonality: vegetables that ripen at the same time always go well with each other. In spring, asparagus, snow peas and chervil will be a good mix. Artichokes go great with fava beans (spring version), and in the fall you can make artichoke stew with celery root. Summer trio – tomatoes, eggplant and potatoes. Winter offer – a hearty root vegetable stew. By seasonal, I mean ripe, seasonal vegetables that are grown in your area, and not imported products that are sold in supermarkets all year round. If you follow these simple rules, your stew will always turn out delicious. Blanshirovanie Sometimes some stew ingredients are best cooked separately so that they retain their texture and color. Don’t worry if the blanched vegetables are too soft, they should be. It is always better to start with those vegetables that take longer to blanch. Wine Wine adds sourness to the dish and allows you to preserve the structure of vegetables. Instead of wine, you can use a few tablespoons of lemon juice or mild vinegar. And although dry white wine pairs better with vegetables, sometimes I add Riesling to stews. The sweet and sour taste of this wine does not spoil at all, but, on the contrary, emphasizes the natural taste of vegetables. Serving the stew Stew is not a very attractive dish, so it is better to serve it in a bowl or in a deep plate with wide edges, which is usually used for serving pasta. The next nuance that you should pay attention to is the side dishes. You can serve fried polenta with mushroom stew, garlic croutons with artichoke, leek and pea stew, and couscous with vegetables with chickpeas. A general recommendation is to serve the stew with foods that absorb juice and have a natural taste: cereals, couscous, polenta, croutons, toast, biscuits and even waffles. Cereals look more attractive in a small container in the center of the plate. When preparing a stew, it is better to cut the vegetables into beautiful large cubes so that you can see which vegetables are included in the dish. Small pieces look less appetizing. When it is impossible to understand what the dish is made of, it is difficult to get a clear answer whether you liked it or not. This is especially important if you are preparing a stew for children. A garnish of coarsely chopped fresh herbs, a spoonful of salsa verde or tomato wedges give the stew a finished, appetizing and very attractive look. Source: deborahmadison.com Translation: Lakshmi
2022-11-11