Top 5 Tips for Winter Soups and Stews
As the cold weather settles in, the stock pot come out.
Nothing warms you up on a chilly day like a hearty soup or stew. They both serve the same purpose, to provide us with a nourishing, comforting meal the whole family will love.
Though many soup recipes are full of meat, veggies, pasta, rice, and noodles, there still needs to be a broth that holds it all together. Compare it to a hearty stew, which is rich and chunky, the main difference between these two dishes is the amount of liquid that’s used for each. While soups contain enough cooking liquid to fill a bowl and allow its ingredients to float, stews contain just a bit of cooking liquid to allow the meat to braise and simmer the other ingredients.
Here are our five top tips to create a warming bowl of flavour.
-
Grab your stock
We have a secret weapon for your cooking preparation this winter! We have created a selection of stocks made from 100% Australian meat and locally sourced A-Grade vegetables with no preservatives and are gluten free.
These restaurant quality shelf-stable stocks are triple concentrated – making a little go a long way. View our ready made range here.
If you are passionate about taking the time to make your stock from scratch, we have chicken & beef stock bones also available here.
-
Shop the veggie season
Your soups and stews will taste incredible if you use vegetables which are in season. We have created a guide to Winter produce here. Make sure you chop your veggies into similar sizes so they cook evenly and sauté them in butter or oil to boost the flavour.
-
Don’t rush your cooking
Simmer, simmer, simmer. Allow time for all those delicious flavours to develop and to come together by simmering low & slow.
-
Add the protein
When choosing which meat to add to your stews, look for collagen rich cuts with some fat marbling. After a long simmer, the connective tissue breaks down into a gelatin to keep the meat juicy and tender. Our favourite cuts:
- Lamb Shoulder & Neck
- Beef Short Ribs
- Oxtail
- Brisket
- Osso Buco – veal, beef, venison or lamb
- Chicken on the bone
-
Make more and freeze!
Your creation will just get better with time and freezes 100% perfectly. So make a double batch!
 |
 |
 |
WINTER COOKING GUIDE: We love to eat seasonally - not only is it cheaper but it tastes that much better. There are so many delicious fruits and vegetables on offer in Winter and we have created a collection of all the wonderful Winter produce available here, be sure to download the FREE digital Seasonal Guide.
GAMEKEEPERS MEAT: Gamekeepers have been in the business of providing exceptional service and great tasting Australian meat for over 9 years. With Gamekeepers range of high quality meat, that can easily be ordered online for fast delivery, cooking a soup or stew this winter is a sure way to warm up.
DELIVERY: Check our delivery locations across Victoria, with the post code checker here.
RECIPES & INSPIRATIONS: View all cooking inspirations here.
_____________________________________________________
Product Links:
Beef Osso Buco | Beef Short Ribs | Oxtail | Beef Brisket | Veal Osso Buco | Venison Osso Buco | Lamb Osso Buco | Kangaroo Tail | Lamb Shoulder | Lamb Neck Fillet | Lamb Shanks | Chicken Bones | Beef Chuck Bones | Chicken Drumsticks | Chicken Maryland
Gamekeepers Ready Made Stocks and Sauces