[Sca-cooks] OOP - help my stews!

[Sharon Palmer]

>.Also, I find that a couple of bay leaves makes a big difference in 
>almost any stewed beef dish (hides, or mixes with a bitter flavor 
>and rounds it out to something yummy).

Bay leaf becomes amazing if you saute it in a bit of butter or oil 
for a minute or so.  Then add the meat or onions, or anything else 
that needs sauteing and continue with your recipe.

I learned this from a favorite cookbook called _The Foods and Wines 
of France_ (or something like that, the book itself has gone 
missing).  The recipe was pork chops and bay leaf sauteed in butter 
and cooked with white wine.  I've been vegetarian for 35 years and 
don't miss meat, but I can still remember how good they were.

Ranvaig