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went to doctor again today
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<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 385519" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>Jen, with the stews, soups etc, push the flavour. Not just "to tempt a jaded palate" but because flavour can become a focus, when you are short on what you can get into yourself.</p><p></p><p>A trick I do with stews (to avoid it drying out nastily) is long, very slow cooking. I have found crock-pot cooking can be dry and flavourless; or maybe I'm just lousy at it. But I brown the ingredients first, then set up a long, slow simmer. The surface should be barely shimmering, no big bubbles happening. Maybe the occasional tiny bubble. Don't add too much liquid, just observe. On slow heat, it shouldn't catch anyway. But some liquid is needed. I simmer like this for at least three hours, sometimes up to five or six hours.</p><p></p><p>Example recipe - begin with a classic sofrito - finely chopped celery, carrot, garlic & onion, cooked until soft and translucent. Take it out of the pot and set it aside. Brown the meat (for long simmers I use gravy beef for preference or chuck steak, cut into 1" cubes) then put the vegetables back in. Add some liquid at this stage, about a cup of liquid to 2 pounds of meat. Liquid to add - a tin of mushrooms, or tomatoes. A glass of red wine. Fresh herbs - oregano, marjoram, thyme, bay leaves. Maybe a few sprigs of tarragon an hour before cooking finishes. Herbs such as basil should be put in no more than half an hour before cooking finishes. </p><p>A good flavour finish is gremolata - a classic one is finely chopped garlic, mixed with finely chopped parsley and grated lemon zest. Stir it in right before serving, to a tomato-based beed casserole. Go easy on the garlic to begin with, but some is good.</p><p></p><p>That's a fairly generic recipe, mix and match as you need. An ingredient I sometimes add is a small amount of Moroccan salted lemon - I make my own when lemons are plentiful because it costs a fortune to buy them. You just use the finely chopped peel, and cut back on salt you might add elsewhere in cooking.</p><p></p><p>You mention she's been really taking to the sugary stuff - generally, it's also highly flavoured. So maybe switching to strongly flavoured casseroles could make the change to savoury, easier for her. And of course, everyone else should enjoy it too.</p><p></p><p>The thing with long slow cooking - there is a great deal of nourishment just in the gravy juices. I thicken mine with cornstarch (mixed with a little water to avoid lumps) but if this texture is a problem for her, she could have it before thickening. Also, a lot of liquid comes out in cooking. You might only add a cup, but there will be about four cups by the time it's done (if you keep the lid on during cooking, that is!)</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 385519, member: 1991"] Jen, with the stews, soups etc, push the flavour. Not just "to tempt a jaded palate" but because flavour can become a focus, when you are short on what you can get into yourself. A trick I do with stews (to avoid it drying out nastily) is long, very slow cooking. I have found crock-pot cooking can be dry and flavourless; or maybe I'm just lousy at it. But I brown the ingredients first, then set up a long, slow simmer. The surface should be barely shimmering, no big bubbles happening. Maybe the occasional tiny bubble. Don't add too much liquid, just observe. On slow heat, it shouldn't catch anyway. But some liquid is needed. I simmer like this for at least three hours, sometimes up to five or six hours. Example recipe - begin with a classic sofrito - finely chopped celery, carrot, garlic & onion, cooked until soft and translucent. Take it out of the pot and set it aside. Brown the meat (for long simmers I use gravy beef for preference or chuck steak, cut into 1" cubes) then put the vegetables back in. Add some liquid at this stage, about a cup of liquid to 2 pounds of meat. Liquid to add - a tin of mushrooms, or tomatoes. A glass of red wine. Fresh herbs - oregano, marjoram, thyme, bay leaves. Maybe a few sprigs of tarragon an hour before cooking finishes. Herbs such as basil should be put in no more than half an hour before cooking finishes. A good flavour finish is gremolata - a classic one is finely chopped garlic, mixed with finely chopped parsley and grated lemon zest. Stir it in right before serving, to a tomato-based beed casserole. Go easy on the garlic to begin with, but some is good. That's a fairly generic recipe, mix and match as you need. An ingredient I sometimes add is a small amount of Moroccan salted lemon - I make my own when lemons are plentiful because it costs a fortune to buy them. You just use the finely chopped peel, and cut back on salt you might add elsewhere in cooking. You mention she's been really taking to the sugary stuff - generally, it's also highly flavoured. So maybe switching to strongly flavoured casseroles could make the change to savoury, easier for her. And of course, everyone else should enjoy it too. The thing with long slow cooking - there is a great deal of nourishment just in the gravy juices. I thicken mine with cornstarch (mixed with a little water to avoid lumps) but if this texture is a problem for her, she could have it before thickening. Also, a lot of liquid comes out in cooking. You might only add a cup, but there will be about four cups by the time it's done (if you keep the lid on during cooking, that is!) Marg [/QUOTE]
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