Post LRP event stew recipe (as invented by me and Jamie)
We had large amounts of vegetables which needed using up after LRP. This is what happened. This is probably why Jamie and I are not famous chefs with TV shows and stuff.
*Chop two large onions left over from Empire, and fry in a bit of vegetable oil
*Have a brief debate over the relative merits of fresh tomatoes vs. canned.
*Resolve debate after realising the tomatoes left over from the Bards' Guild event really aren't that fresh anymore and need using up.
*Add one punnet of tomatoes, chopped (minus all the ones which had gone squishy in the bottom) and fry until they get soft.
*Remove 3 large potatoes which have been quietly developing their own civilization under the sink, beat into submission, peel and chop into smallish cubes.
*Locate large root-vegetable type thing which came in a stew pack, and have a brief argument about what it is.
*Decide it's probably a turnip.
*Decide it probably doesn't matter, as it's going in the stew anyway, dammit.
*Peel the probably-turnip and chop into smallish cubes too.
*Peel three large parsnips left over from Empire.
*Endure the slights from your cooking partner that the parsnips you've provided are somehow especially phallic - like it's something you've done on purpose, and all parsnips aren't vaguely phallic anyway - and chop into smallish cubes.
*Boil some water and attempt to dissolve a vegetable stock-cube into it. Discover you don't have any vegetable stock cubes, just French onion.
*Win an argument over the merits of French onion soup with cooking partner, who doesn’t like it, citing Fight Club in that it is one of the few types of food which can’t be tampered with by a waiter.
*Get distracted discussing Fight Club.
*Decide to use the French onion anyway, as that's the only type of stock cube you have.
*Add the hot stock to the onions and tomatoes and bring to the boil.
*Realise your saucepan isn't nearly big enough.
*Go upstairs to get saucepan you bought for Empire from where it got dumped in the spare room.
*Discover several tubes of tomato purée you forgot you bought for the event.
*Transfer the mix into the new, larger, saucepan and add the potatoes, parsnips and probably-turnip.
*Remember you have carrots in the fridge, and hurriedly peel and chop one of those, and add it to the mix.
*Carefully measure several tea-spoons of tomato purée into the stew.
*Get bored and just squeeze a lot in.
*Simmer the mix for a while so that the vegetables soften.
*Start going through cupboards and drawers to find things to flavour the stew with.
*Settle on Provençale herb mix, cumin, black pepper and bouquet garni.
*Get momentarily distracted by the fact Morrison's bouquet garni looks exactly like a tea-bag.
*Ponder over the wisdom of actually adding a tea-bag to the stew.
*Decide against it.
*Add a bit of soy sauce.
*Serve up and eat the stew watching the series finale of Avatar, pleasantly surprised about how well both stew and TV show turned out.
*Chop two large onions left over from Empire, and fry in a bit of vegetable oil
*Have a brief debate over the relative merits of fresh tomatoes vs. canned.
*Resolve debate after realising the tomatoes left over from the Bards' Guild event really aren't that fresh anymore and need using up.
*Add one punnet of tomatoes, chopped (minus all the ones which had gone squishy in the bottom) and fry until they get soft.
*Remove 3 large potatoes which have been quietly developing their own civilization under the sink, beat into submission, peel and chop into smallish cubes.
*Locate large root-vegetable type thing which came in a stew pack, and have a brief argument about what it is.
*Decide it's probably a turnip.
*Decide it probably doesn't matter, as it's going in the stew anyway, dammit.
*Peel the probably-turnip and chop into smallish cubes too.
*Peel three large parsnips left over from Empire.
*Endure the slights from your cooking partner that the parsnips you've provided are somehow especially phallic - like it's something you've done on purpose, and all parsnips aren't vaguely phallic anyway - and chop into smallish cubes.
*Boil some water and attempt to dissolve a vegetable stock-cube into it. Discover you don't have any vegetable stock cubes, just French onion.
*Win an argument over the merits of French onion soup with cooking partner, who doesn’t like it, citing Fight Club in that it is one of the few types of food which can’t be tampered with by a waiter.
*Get distracted discussing Fight Club.
*Decide to use the French onion anyway, as that's the only type of stock cube you have.
*Add the hot stock to the onions and tomatoes and bring to the boil.
*Realise your saucepan isn't nearly big enough.
*Go upstairs to get saucepan you bought for Empire from where it got dumped in the spare room.
*Discover several tubes of tomato purée you forgot you bought for the event.
*Transfer the mix into the new, larger, saucepan and add the potatoes, parsnips and probably-turnip.
*Remember you have carrots in the fridge, and hurriedly peel and chop one of those, and add it to the mix.
*Carefully measure several tea-spoons of tomato purée into the stew.
*Get bored and just squeeze a lot in.
*Simmer the mix for a while so that the vegetables soften.
*Start going through cupboards and drawers to find things to flavour the stew with.
*Settle on Provençale herb mix, cumin, black pepper and bouquet garni.
*Get momentarily distracted by the fact Morrison's bouquet garni looks exactly like a tea-bag.
*Ponder over the wisdom of actually adding a tea-bag to the stew.
*Decide against it.
*Add a bit of soy sauce.
*Serve up and eat the stew watching the series finale of Avatar, pleasantly surprised about how well both stew and TV show turned out.