A stew is a type of cooking that uses a semi-fatty medium.
Guiso is a concept that refers to stewed food ; that is, one that is prepared with sauce after having been sautéed and that usually includes ingredients such as pieces of meat, potatoes (potatoes) and various spices. Stew could be defined as a type of cooking that uses a semi-fatty medium. There are historical records that show that stews were already consumed in the 15th century in the Mediterranean region.
A stew begins with sautéing the food . In this step, the food is fried so that it is impregnated with fat and seasonings . Once this is done, everything is placed in a container with sauce and the preparation is cooked for a long time. The idea is that all the ingredients are cooked and have a suitable consistency to eat.
Ingredients of a stew
There are no specific ingredients for a stew since there cannot be a single type of stew. Local or seasonal products are usually used, so their preparation is usually not too expensive.
In general terms, it can be said that a stew includes cereals (such as corn or rice), vegetables (spinach, cabbage), tubers (potatoes, sweet potatoes), legumes (peas, beans, lentils) and some type of meat (beef, chicken). It is common that the so-called stew noodles , such as mostacholes, are also included.
Some very popular stews are puchero , tripe ( tripe ) and locro , preparations that are ideal for winter due to their high calorie content. Each country has its own varieties of stew, using the foods most related to its gastronomic culture .
It is common for stews to be prepared in a pot or similar container.
Recipe with lentils
Lentil stew is a very popular and very versatile dish, since it can be prepared in many ways. Below we present a recipe that includes a wide variety of ingredients and, unlike most, does not contain any products of animal origin.
The necessary ingredients are: 1/2 kg of lentils, 4 carrots, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 onions, 1 bay leaf, 1 tablespoon of sweet paprika, 4 tablespoons of oil (preferably olive), 1 green pepper, 2 tomatoes , mushrooms, mushrooms, salt and pepper.
It should be noted that the preparation of a good lentil stew begins with the choice of the best ingredients; It is always preferable to reduce the recipe rather than use poor quality products. Now, the first step is to soak the lentils for an average of 10 hours. Next, they should be drained and left ready to be used when necessary.
Next, heat a little oil in a frying pan over low heat and add, in the following order, the garlic cloves, carrots, pepper, onions and tomato, all chopped. Add the bay leaf, mushrooms and mushrooms in pieces, and cook everything, trying to stir it from time to time, to prevent the ingredients from burning and to help them soften and mix the flavors.
It is very important that the sofrito is tasty and well cooked before proceeding with the final steps; Therefore, to obtain the best results, the heat should not be raised. When the mushrooms and carrots are well cooked we can assume that the rest of the ingredients are also ready; Then, it's time to add the lentils, season everything and stir for a minute, so that they absorb the other flavors. Then, add a medium cup of hot water and stir again.
There should be enough water for the lentils to absorb, but it is important to add it little by little. Having reached this point, all that remains is to stir from time to time, add hot water when the stew feels a little moist, and wait for the lentils to finish preparing.