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16/03/2010

Curries, Stews and Casseroles

Click on the links below to go to that recipe:


Chicken and Butternut Squash Curry a mild curry with a rich creamy coconut gravy





Sausage Casserole





Beef Stew and dumplings


I love to cook curries, stews and casseroles especially in the autumn and winter months. There is something about the cold weather that makes these dishes heart warming and welcoming.

I find making stews and curries in the slow cooker it allows me to use tougher cuts of meat as they breakdown and become delicious and tender slowly cooked over a period of several hours, cooking vegetables at the same time all in one pot. Often preparing on the morning, switching on and leaving on all day while I get on with other jobs I found it handy when I was working but also cheap way of cooking, now I watch the pennies it is even better.


Curries
I rarely cook curry in any other way than a slow cooker. I serve them with either boiled rice or freshly made naan bread, small amounts of meat, vegetables and spices can be added to either naans or rice if I wish when I make them myself. I had tried to make naan bread with reasonable success before I discovered a wonderful lady's site called Mamta's Kitchen which has fantastic authentic recipes for Indian cuisine, since trying her recipe I would never buy another Naan. Her site is well worth a visit.


Stews and Casseroles

Although stews are supposedly cooked on the top of a stove and casseroles in the oven the term stew is often used for an oven dish too however casserole seems not to be used for a stove top dish.

Stews and casseroles usually have vegetables cooked at the same time although sometimes I steam vegetables over potatoes if I’m serving mash with the dish. I love to serve stews with either loads of mash, especially if making dumplings as well or lots of fresh chunky bread.


If I’m going to put dumplings with a stew or casserole I cook it in a low to moderate oven of around 160 °C for approximately 2-2 ½ hours adding the dumpling for the last 25 minutes. I make it this way because I find I cannot make dumplings in my slow cooker, they are no where near as light and fluffy with a crispy browned top as when cooked in the oven. Although there are many people who swear by dumplings made in their own slow cookers.