Quorn Stew (or meat)

[janeyo]

For Jackie j.

I am veggie, OH is not which sometimes makes life difficult when cooking.
I make 2 stews side by side, one quorn and one meat (diced pork, diced beef, rabbit, sausage etc).

I then put half of everything I will mention into each pot and simmer til the meat is done - up to 2 hours depending. If you just make quorn stew then it is done as soon as the veggies are soft, and the liquid boiled off a bit.

If you use the meat one then the meat gets browned in it's pan first while I chop everything else.

All the veggies are chopped into big bite size chunks, just big enough not to fall apart when cooking. I allow about 75g of fresh or frozen quorn pieces per person

Chunks of (1 large)onion, or leeks or whole shallots, softened for a few mins.
1 or 2 pieces of garlic
2 or 3 medium potatoes chopped into chunks
2 medium carrots
1 large parsnip (or turnip, or swede or all of them!)
Handful of frozen peas
Handful of button mushrooms - optional
Handful of cauliflower or brocolli heads (or both) - optional
About a pint of veggie stock, you may need to add a bit more water later.
Tin of chopped tomatoes.
Squeeze of tomato puree.
Chopped herbs - whatever you like really. I use a mixed selection.

Bring to the boil and then simmer for at least an hour (meat) depending on how thick you like the liquid.

We have this with crusty bread in the winter. And the beauty of it is i can add whatever veg I have and it still tastes great! Just add whatever you fancy

[jackie j]

Thanks OH is the veggie one but he doesnt like me cooking any meat or fish and I feel me and my daughter go without just to please him. I am getting fed up with the same week in week out.

[janeyo]

I once fed my dad a quorn spag bol and he didn't know it wasn't beef lol.
It can be hard. I cook for them ven though I don't really like to do so. This dish is easy cos you can all have the same or you can just cook the quorn one and add a bit of bacon or something you fancy to yours

[Hilary B]

As an omnivore, I don't think I could cope with sharing a home with someone who didn't like me cooking meat, fish etc. Sooner or later I would end up suggesting that he eat out somewhere, while the rest of us had what we like...... (I'm not the most patient person)

[Eyren]

Having lived with a couple of picky eaters in the past, I decided that one of my main criteria for a partner would be someone who likes most of the same kinds of food as I do! Mr E and I have a few minor differences in tastes (he has a sweeter tooth than me; I like liver and he doesn't), but not so much as to cause dinnertime headaches. As an ex-vegetarian who likes meat but really doesn't want to eat it every day, it's such a relief for me to share cooking duties with a man who doesn't mind eating veggie fairly regularly (as long as he gets his meat at least a couple of times a week)!

Sorry, kind of hijacked the thread a bit there! We have a lot of stews like that in winter, Janeyo (atm, mostly from veg box rather than homegrown, though I hope to do better next year!). However I tend to leave out the tomatoes and add a splash of vino

[Alison]

There is a massive difference between being vegetarian (or not eating certain food for religious reasons too) and being picky. Used to share a house with a woman who wouldn't eat food that needed chewing (she was THAT lazy) and know several people who won't eat ANY veg, now that's picky. Deciding that you don't want to eat certain food types for health, religious, ethical or environmental reasons is totally different and, so long as it's properly thought out, is something to be admired.

[janeyo]

did she have teeth or had she had those removed specially in case she accidentally chewed something?!

[Eyren]

My picky eaters were just that - the "eeww, I don't like that, it's green/has too many legs/no legs/funny texture" brigade

I was a vegetarian when I couldn't afford meat and interesting veg/spices/etc (I was raised by a greengrocer and a cook!), and I still try to buy organic/free-range meat and dairy where possible. I would rather go back to being vegetarian than live with a veg-hating carnivore any day!

[Hilary B]

I can cook vegetarian (or vegan) but being expected to do so every day regardless of my own preferences would put a strain on any relationship. As it happens, I have to be devious about reducing the meat content (I'm quite good at that trick these days). He will eat veg, but he prefers them not to be too obvious....... (spuds are not 'veg' in this context).

[Funky Mum]

Mmm sounds lovely! I do a veg soup with just about the same ingredients (minus the quorn) in my slow cooker. Its gorgeous.

[nerobot]

Used to live with a very picky eater. He was a vegetarian, but didn't like many vegetables, paster, or rice! So he ended up eating roast potato with beans almost everyday.

Steven