Post by PVP on Jan 10, 2011 16:45:54 GMT -5
This is what we lived on many lean weeks. This and cornbread.
In a real large stew pot, like the size of a canner, boil chicken parts, beef bones, pork neckbones, whatever other poor meat you got, game or domestic, until all the meat falls off the bones and you got a real rich broth.
Of course, since it's all poor meat, you gotta spice up the water so it's not so rank when you're boiling it down. Toss in a few bay laurel leaves, a handful of peppercorns, a roughly quartered onion, the bottom and top trimmings from a bunch of the celery and the carrots you're later gonna use to dice up with the other veggies. Salt the broth while it's boiling. I also toss in the outer leaves and core of the head of cabbage which I clean in preparation to shred for the stew later.
When the meat falls off the bones, run the broth thru a strainer and return the strained broth to the stew pot. Reserve the meat until it cools and separate the meat from the bones and veggie mush best you can. I used to mix the veggie mush and excess fat with whatever else I fed the dogs back in those times.
Now, finely chop the following stuff: a head of cabbage, a half pound of carrots, a pound of potatoes, about a half bunch of celery, a couple of bell peppers, a couple of onions ... chop this stuff about down as fine as corn kernel size or at least so it looks most like canned mixed veggies. Add all this to the broth and simmer along with a couple cans of corn, a can of peas, a couple cans of beans like pintos or white beans, whatever, a can or two of stewed tomatoes, and oh maybe a half cup of ketchup, a generous addition of Worchestershire sauce or some soy sauce if you don't have any Worchestershire, and some herbs and spices* (as noted below), and simmer until everything is good and conglomerated into a nice, thick, rich camp stew.
Added: Sometimes when we'd cook this outside in a huge iron kettle over an open flame, we'd have to stir it with a canoe paddle. But that's like a huge amount, not just 2 or 3 gallons. Point I want to make is you have to stir it frequently to ensure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot and char or scald. And when the entire mess is really cooked to perfection, it will suddenly slump down visibly. Maybe an inch or so. Ploof. And that's when you know it's done.
Meanwhile, you should've finely chopped up the meat and added it back to the developing stew along with the following herbs and spices mixed together before hand like a garum masala mix:
*Herbs and Spices:
Basil
Oregano at 1/2 the amt. of basil
Cumin at 1/2 the amt. of oregano
Garlic ... never fear garlic!
a little Madras curry powder just for the hell of it
Black pepper
Red pepper
a little allspice ... not much
a very little nutmeg ... just maybe 1/8 tsp or tad more.
a little thyme ... not too much
I'm sure I left out something you'll think of ...
... remember, we sometimes called this S*** F*** Stew.
No fear cooking!
In a real large stew pot, like the size of a canner, boil chicken parts, beef bones, pork neckbones, whatever other poor meat you got, game or domestic, until all the meat falls off the bones and you got a real rich broth.
Of course, since it's all poor meat, you gotta spice up the water so it's not so rank when you're boiling it down. Toss in a few bay laurel leaves, a handful of peppercorns, a roughly quartered onion, the bottom and top trimmings from a bunch of the celery and the carrots you're later gonna use to dice up with the other veggies. Salt the broth while it's boiling. I also toss in the outer leaves and core of the head of cabbage which I clean in preparation to shred for the stew later.
When the meat falls off the bones, run the broth thru a strainer and return the strained broth to the stew pot. Reserve the meat until it cools and separate the meat from the bones and veggie mush best you can. I used to mix the veggie mush and excess fat with whatever else I fed the dogs back in those times.
Now, finely chop the following stuff: a head of cabbage, a half pound of carrots, a pound of potatoes, about a half bunch of celery, a couple of bell peppers, a couple of onions ... chop this stuff about down as fine as corn kernel size or at least so it looks most like canned mixed veggies. Add all this to the broth and simmer along with a couple cans of corn, a can of peas, a couple cans of beans like pintos or white beans, whatever, a can or two of stewed tomatoes, and oh maybe a half cup of ketchup, a generous addition of Worchestershire sauce or some soy sauce if you don't have any Worchestershire, and some herbs and spices* (as noted below), and simmer until everything is good and conglomerated into a nice, thick, rich camp stew.
Added: Sometimes when we'd cook this outside in a huge iron kettle over an open flame, we'd have to stir it with a canoe paddle. But that's like a huge amount, not just 2 or 3 gallons. Point I want to make is you have to stir it frequently to ensure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot and char or scald. And when the entire mess is really cooked to perfection, it will suddenly slump down visibly. Maybe an inch or so. Ploof. And that's when you know it's done.
Meanwhile, you should've finely chopped up the meat and added it back to the developing stew along with the following herbs and spices mixed together before hand like a garum masala mix:
*Herbs and Spices:
Basil
Oregano at 1/2 the amt. of basil
Cumin at 1/2 the amt. of oregano
Garlic ... never fear garlic!
a little Madras curry powder just for the hell of it
Black pepper
Red pepper
a little allspice ... not much
a very little nutmeg ... just maybe 1/8 tsp or tad more.
a little thyme ... not too much
I'm sure I left out something you'll think of ...
... remember, we sometimes called this S*** F*** Stew.
No fear cooking!
!