How can I counteract the to bright tomato taste of a beef stew?
I used a large tin of chopped tomatoes as the majority of the liquid (plus water) to make a beef stew. It doesn't taste right! I used lots of fresh spices; thyme, rosemary and sage. It really needs help. Can anybody suggest something, please?
Best Answer
The thing to avoid with stews is boiling them as this tends to make the meat tough and drives off the more subtle aromatic flavours, cooking too hard can also make tomatoes taste a bit metallic.
If it tastes a bit too sharp there are a few this you can do to help it.
- seasoning : just basic salt and pepper flavours will help as well as plain salt anchovies and fish sauce can work well with beef, if used moderately these don't give the dish any sort of fishy taste. These also tend to enhance the savoury flavour of the beef but you do need to be a bit careful not to over-salt stews as this is difficult to fix.
- sweetening : a bit of sweetener can counteract harsh flavours and enhance aromats. Something like honey or caramelised onions is generally better than refined white sugar, black treacle also works well with beef as it has a bit of bitterness to balance the sweetness.
- Spice : even if you don't like hot food, paprika or black pepper can add extra depth to a stew without making it too hot as can fresh peppers. Aniseed flavours like tarragon, star anise and fennel seed also work well with beef.
Smokey flavours can also work well and can be a good emergency fix for a stew which has gone a bit wrong eg smoked paprika or smoked oysters.
The key thing is to add seasonings gradually and taste as you go along, taking careful note of how they change the flavour often it sis not so much a case of tasting the seasoning itself as how it changes the whole balance.
Also stews get better with slow gentle cooking (not boiling) it's normal for a meat stew to taste bit weird after 30 minutes or so but after 45 minutes to an hour of gentle simmering is should start to come together so it's important not to season too much too early.
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How do you make stew less tomatoey?
A Pinch of SugarA small quantity of raw sugar, agave syrup or natural honey can take the edge from your stew, bringing out the full flavor of the tomatoes. Alternatively, stir in sweet ingredients such as mellow-flavored apples, shredded carrots or caramelized onions and let them dissolve into the stew as it cooks.How do you neutralize tomato flavor?
Heat 1 cup of sauce with 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (baking soda neutralizes acidity). Taste the sauce and add tiny amounts of baking soda to see if it mellows the acidity. If there is still an edge, swirl in a teaspoon of butter, letting it melt until creamy. Usually this does the job.How do you counteract too much tomatoes?
Great tomato flavor is all about balancing acidity and sweetness. Too much of either can leave you with asauce that tastes one-dimensional. Many sources recommend adding a pinch of baking soda to a sauce that's overly tart, which raises the pH and makes it less acidic. We've always preferred adding a bit of sugar.How do you fix sour tomato stew?
You can get rid of sour taste in tomato stew by steaming or boiling the fresh tomatoes before blending it. The steaming or boiling of the tomatoes allows the sour water to escape or evaporate out; leaving the real tomato content with less water.Stewed Beef Tomatoe
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Answer 2
try some worchestershire and a bay leaf and continue to cook and break the tomatoes down.
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