because you love to hear about bean stew
I am unimpressed with my current batch of bean stew (currently more like soup, but it tends to set up overnight).
I am impressed by my problem solving. Since I have tendinitis, and what is probably arthritis, my hands have a limit to what they can do in any given day and my solution spared my hands a lot of spoons.
The Problem(s): I wanted to roast chicken and veg. This takes the oven and I usually use a shallow roasting pan, one I hate in part because it's too small. I also wanted to make stew, because I soaked the beans two days ago and they only last a few days before spoiling. The bean stew also cooks in the oven, in a ginormous dutch oven. The dutch oven is great for long, slow cooking, but big, heavy, and hard to wash. (That link is for a generic dutch oven, not mine.) I usually store the dutch oven in the actual oven so it's out of the way. This meansto roast chicken and veggies this very large object needs a home in a too-crowded kitchen. I also wanted to saute the onions before putting them in the stew. I usually use a saute pan for this. So now we're at 3 pans, all of which then need to be washed, and two things to cook in the oven when there's only room for one at a time.
Solution: I used the base of the dutch oven, which is a roasting pan, to cook the chicken and veggies. While the chicken and veggies were roasting I cut up everything for the stew. I removed the finished chicken and veggies to a separate container (half for eating for lunch, half for later). I then roasted the chopped onion for the stew in the chicken fat until it was translucent/golden. When the onions were ready, I dumped in the remaining ingredients, put it back in the oven, and let it cook.
One pan, 3 uses, and I haven't had to wash it yet. Since the oven and pan weren't cooled down and re-heated, I assume it was also more efficient cooking and use of energy. :)
So now I have bean stew. It's fine, but lacks deliciousity (my new word). I can't taste the cumin seed I put in. Don't know why I was so cautious - I have notes from a previous recipe that I should add more.
My last batch of stew was all pinto beans, which I tried in stew for the first time and didn't like, with turkey neck, which I tried for the first time and loved. This batch is a mix of pinto and black beans, to see if I like it better, with pork neck bones for the meat. Plus turnips and turnip greens, and some other veggies.
And that's what I currently have to tell you about bean stew.
I am impressed by my problem solving. Since I have tendinitis, and what is probably arthritis, my hands have a limit to what they can do in any given day and my solution spared my hands a lot of spoons.
The Problem(s): I wanted to roast chicken and veg. This takes the oven and I usually use a shallow roasting pan, one I hate in part because it's too small. I also wanted to make stew, because I soaked the beans two days ago and they only last a few days before spoiling. The bean stew also cooks in the oven, in a ginormous dutch oven. The dutch oven is great for long, slow cooking, but big, heavy, and hard to wash. (That link is for a generic dutch oven, not mine.) I usually store the dutch oven in the actual oven so it's out of the way. This meansto roast chicken and veggies this very large object needs a home in a too-crowded kitchen. I also wanted to saute the onions before putting them in the stew. I usually use a saute pan for this. So now we're at 3 pans, all of which then need to be washed, and two things to cook in the oven when there's only room for one at a time.
Solution: I used the base of the dutch oven, which is a roasting pan, to cook the chicken and veggies. While the chicken and veggies were roasting I cut up everything for the stew. I removed the finished chicken and veggies to a separate container (half for eating for lunch, half for later). I then roasted the chopped onion for the stew in the chicken fat until it was translucent/golden. When the onions were ready, I dumped in the remaining ingredients, put it back in the oven, and let it cook.
One pan, 3 uses, and I haven't had to wash it yet. Since the oven and pan weren't cooled down and re-heated, I assume it was also more efficient cooking and use of energy. :)
So now I have bean stew. It's fine, but lacks deliciousity (my new word). I can't taste the cumin seed I put in. Don't know why I was so cautious - I have notes from a previous recipe that I should add more.
My last batch of stew was all pinto beans, which I tried in stew for the first time and didn't like, with turkey neck, which I tried for the first time and loved. This batch is a mix of pinto and black beans, to see if I like it better, with pork neck bones for the meat. Plus turnips and turnip greens, and some other veggies.
And that's what I currently have to tell you about bean stew.