Me too though its usually ketchup as puree doesn't last long once the tube is opened
Always use Colman's Beef or Chicken Casserole Mix & lots of different veg
Real comfort food

Same recipe as last time.

2 tins of chopped tomatoes.
2 large potatoes.
2 chopped onions.
4 chopped carrots.
1 bag of Quorn Steak Strips.
6 heaped spoons of gravy granules.
Top up with water to just below rim.

Should be bubbling by midnight, at which point I'll put the slow cooker on Low.

Should be cooked to perfection, by tea time tomorrow.

Could do with a bayleaf or two, some herbs, garlic and pepper (I assume the gravy granules have enough salt in them)

Does quorn improve with long slow cooking?

I season to taste, after it's been cooking overnight.


Definitely.

ETA: Smell is starting to drift through the house. Will probably wake up tomorrow, to find I've drooled all oven the pillow.

I always add a teaspoon of sugar if I use tinned tomatoes. They are more acid than fresh tomatoes. If you add a good spoonful of paprika to your beef and tomato stew, it will be goulash!

It's been slow cooking for about 14 hours now, and it smells and tastes delicious.

Can you have vegetarian goulash

So I use exactly what I used in post 27, but just add a good spoonful of paprika?

When you say a spoonful, do you mean a teaspoon, desert spoon, or what?

I usually use a level tablespoon. Add a small pot of soured cream at the end of the cooking time too.

I've got a stew on at the moment. I added a heaped desert spoon of paprika.

Been on since 10 last night. Just sampled it and it tastes lovely.

I'll have a bowl about 5pm, and take the rest to work, for my lunch tomorrow.

If I add the sour cream, will I still be OK to reheat it in the microwave tomorrow?

Smallest pot of soured cream I could get is 300ml.

Is that too much, for 3 litres of stew?

It'll be fine to re-heat. 300ml is OK. You know that you can make soured cream by just adding a tablespoon of lemon juice to single cream don't you?

Yes, I do it often. Just make sure you also add some water and sugar otherwise it can be quite bitter.

So, I just pour the cream into the hot stew and stir in?

Yes, at the end of the cooking time.

You don't have to put it into the stew pot.
Use a heaped teaspoon of it as a garnish at the end and stir it into you individual bowl of stew.

Beef, tinned toms, onions, paprika, caraway, salt and pepper = Goulash....yum!

edit - just seem that goulash has already been mentioned.


What I do to make goulash (passed on recipe from Austrian relatives) is:

Onions diced - lots of - same amount in size (rather than weight) as your beef. So if you beef fills a 1 litre container, you need enough onion to fill a 1 litre container.

Into a large sauce pan - sweat until soft.

Add beef and begin to brown. After a few minutes add enough paprika (sweet, not hot) to coat the onions and beef, continue to brown for a minute or 2.

Next, you can either carry on on the hob (assuming the pan is big enough, you will need a big stock pot) or transfer to a slow cooker. I do it in a slow cooker these days as you can just leave it to get one with it.

So, over in the slow cooker put the beef and onions in along with 2 tins of chopped tomato. Dessert spoon full more of paprika, tea spoon or caraway and a bit of salt and pepper to taste.

Low for at least 8 hours, but the more the better or high for about 6.

Taste often and add more paprika, salt, pepper and caraway that you see fit.

Serve with bread dumplings which can be made and then added to the pot about 30-45 minutes before the end of cooking.

YUM!

As to the beef, I couldn't tell you a weight I use I just go by eye depending on how many I am serving but I always make too much which is good to freeze or to turn into Goulash soup.

Another note on beef, get cheap beef with lots of marbling in it. The more the better then the meat will be incredibly tender and juicy.