Mushroom Stew

[ibsenskid]

Yay, it posted!  What a way to end a week!   

The recipe is pretty straightforward to me because I cook it all the time, but please let me know if there's anything I can answer. 

Love,
Syd

[yabbitgirl]

First let me say I have GOT to try this, though I'll probably do it on the stove. Question: how many mushrooms is a basketful? By weight or in cups, how many approx? I live in Europe and there are several sizes of containers.

[TinTexas]

Good question, yabbit.  There are at least two sizes of packaged fresh button mushrooms here.  An 8 oz by weight size and a 16 oz. size.  I think the 16 oz would be an awful lot of mushrooms but then it is "mushroom" stew and not potato or tapioca stew! 

[ibsenskid]

I usually start with the 8oz basket, but I often tend to add whatever mushrooms I have on hand because the mushrooms are my favorite part.

[austux]

Hello from Tullqah, Tasmania.

What's a good sub for veggo Worcestershire sauce? Tullah's a great place but one thing it is not well-endowed with is food shops. It's a sort-of tourist spot amongst a flock of mining towns in very (for me) cold, rainy and hilly Western Tasmania.

Another thing I should be asking for a sub on is, believe it or not, mushrooms. I'm told that Tassie only grows toadstools, and of course mushrooms are not a stock item at the local shop (singular, they try hard but are more of a large deli than a supermarket).

Aaaanyway, I should be able to drop in to Rosebery soon, a mining town which does have a genuine supermarket, with actual fruit and vegetables in it, and get some mushies there.

[austux]

Hello from Tullah, Tasmania.

I've also gone from a 512/512 kbit ADSL connection to dialup modem. 

That's the only instant choice around here, although http://www.bordernet.com.au/ BorderNet should have two-way satt up here in a month or so (the gummint has been mucking around with their funding model) which will get me off the 'phone when SWMBO wants to use it, plus decent (if a little lagged) bandwidth & a full-time connection.

[Lenorre]

hey, was just wondering if i'd be able to leave out the tapioca? i don't have any and, at the risk of soundng like a bit of a moron, i'm not even sure what it does. i'm guessing a sort of thickening agent? any suggestions are cool.

Thanks! Can't wait to try this.

[laur b.]

hey, was just wondering if i'd be able to leave out the tapioca?

Lenorre-- I was wondering the same thing. I'm pretty sure the tapioca is for the purpose of thickening. According to this site-- http://www.foodsubs.com/ThickenStarch.html    you could probably use arrowroot or flour or cornstarch in place of it. The quantities may differ a bit, though. For example, if you're going to use cornstarch you should only use about half as much.

[yabbitgirl]

If you're going to thicken with cornstarch or flour, it might be best to do this after it's done, on the stove. There's a thread re:this recipe on the Q&A page and I mentioned I will probably make it on the stove; ibsenskid recommends using flour to thicken in that case. The tapioca will respond better to crockpot cooking (no lumps).

[Lenorre]

thanks for the replies regarding tapioca/thickeners 

i ended up just making a variation of this stew, without a thickener because i decided i didn't wait it thick anyway. i cut up an onion, a few peeled potatoes, and tons of cremini, regualar and portabello mushrooms. i did it all in a veg broth with some yummy spices, garlic and a cup of peas at the very end. it's FANTASTIC!! so thanks for the inspiration 

have a good one!!

Lenorre

[yabbitgirl]

I just made this on the stovetop and I didn't think it needed any thickener...besides I like to mash the potatoes into the broth.  It is good, though since I used a cup of pasta sauce (holiday weekend, forgot to buy plain) it came out kind of sweet and I added some hot sauce to give it a little more kick...but go easy. Also because it was pasta sauce I had to be careful the potatoes didn't stick to the pan.
Someday I'll make it in the crockpot and it'll be gorgeous-er yet.

[alicecoaxum]

I changed the recipe a little I added broccoli and cauliflower. I also added 4 oz more of the tomato sauce and 8oz  more of the water. I think it turned out well. the picture doesn't do my stew justice.

[Jewelieta]

I made this yesterday and it received rave reviews. The boyfriend even demanded it be put into the supper rotation. I did have to change it up a bit though. I used a 28 oz. can of organic no salt crushed tomatoes and enough water until it looked right for the time I'd be cooking it. I also used one basket of baby bellas and half a basket of white mushrooms. I also added roughly 1-2 teaspoons of salt and pinch more pepper. This was VERY good. I'm always looking for good Crockpot recipes and this exceeded my expectations, thank you! 

[Jewelieta]

Oops! I forgot to mention that since I had so much liquid I chopped up more potatoes and carrots to accommodate it. Just eyeballed it, really. I think next time I'll put in different veggies and pasta instead of the potato. I'm sure that'd be good as well!