Ravens Stew Recipes

RAVIN' GOOD STEW

Steps:

• Drain pears, reserving juice; chop pears and set aside. In a Dutch oven, brown beef in oil in batches; drain and set aside. In the same pan, saute onions in butter for 5 minutes. Stir in the flour, ketchup, salt, lemon zest, thyme, pepper, cinnamon and cloves until blended. , Gradually stir in the broth, wine and reserved pear juice. Add bay leaf and beef. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour. , Add sweet potatoes; cover and simmer 30 minutes longer or until potatoes and beef are tender. Stir in raisins and pears; heat through. Discard bay leaf. Garnish with parsley.

SPRING LAMB STEW

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Generously sprinkle the leg of lamb with salt and pepper.
• Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over a medium-high heat. In two batches, brown the lamb all over and remove to a plate, 4 to 6 minutes per batch.
• Add the onions, carrots and garlic. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, then cook for a minute or two. Add the tomato paste and stir. Deglaze with the red wine and beef stock, scraping the bottom of the pot. Stir in the rosemary, thyme and bay leaves. Return the lamb to the pot and bring to a simmer.
• Place the lid on the pot and roast until the meat is very tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Sprinkle over the parsley and serve.

RAVEN'S STEW

Steps:

• In a crock pot, add the venison and cover with the bacon slices.
• Place the garlic, onion, potatoes, carrots, parsnips and apple around the vension meat.
• Season well with salt, pepper, thyme and parsley.
• Pour the apple cider over everything and cook on low for 6 - 8 hours.
• If you prefer a thicker gravy, add a little flour and water mix and allow to cook till thickened.
• Serve to your preference and enjoy.

RABBIT STEW

Steps:

• Using half the flour (3/4 cup) coat the pieces of rabbit, shaking off any excess. Heat the oil and butter in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, and brown the floured rabbit on all sides. Add the celery, carrots, onions, salt, pepper, bay leaves, 6 cups water and red wine, and stew for about 2 hours. Add the potatoes 45 minutes into the stewing process. Once the rabbit and all the vegetables are cooked, use some water to form a paste with the remaining 3/4 cup flour. Stir the flour mixture into the pot as a thickener. Add the already sauteed mushrooms to the stew and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings, if necessary, and serve.

RAVEN'S BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Heat the shortening in a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir in the beef stew meat. Cook and stir until the beef is evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease. Transfer beef to a large pot, and add beef stock, onion, garlic, bay leaves, beef bouillon, salt, and pepper. Cook on medium heat until beef begins to tender, about 1 hour.
• Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the carrots; cook and stir until the carrots begins to tender. Stir in the potatoes and celery. Continue to cook and stir until all the vegetables are tender. Transfer the vegetables to the large pot. Simmer until the beef is very tender, about 1 hour more.

KHORESH RIVAS (SAVORY RHUBARB AND BEAN STEW)

Steps:

• Bring a few tablespoons of water to a boil in a small pot. Let the boiling water stand for 2 minutes to allow the temperature to drop slightly while you grind the saffron. Using a mortar and pestle (or a small bowl and the handle of a wooden spoon), grind a pinch of sugar with the saffron to a fine powder (you should have about ¼ teaspoon total). Add 2 tablespoons of the hot water, gently stir, cover and let steep until ready to use.
• In a large pan, heat ¼ cup of olive oil over medium. Add the parsley and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and slightly darkened, about 8 minutes. Drizzle in more oil if the pan seems too dry. Add the mint and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Keep in mind that mint burns very quickly. Remove from the heat and set aside until ready to use. (You'll reuse this pan.)
• In a large, deep sauté pan with a lid, or a Dutch oven, heat ¼ cup of the olive oil over medium-high. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with a little salt, and reduce the heat to medium. Add the turmeric, stir and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the beans, season well with salt and pepper, and cook, gently stirring without breaking the beans, until the flavors have mingled, about 5 minutes. Taste a bean and make sure it's salted to your liking. The turmeric might feel overpowering at this point, but it will mellow as the stew simmers.
• To the beans, add the parsley and mint mixture (keeping the pan handy), 2 cups water and half of the saffron water, and season with salt. Gently stir and bring to a rapid simmer. Partly cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer, occasionally stirring, for 30 minutes, until the flavors have mingled and the oil rises.
• Add the rest of the saffron water, the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon sugar. Stir and simmer, partly covered, for 15 minutes. Taste as the stew simmers and season as needed. Add more water to the stew if necessary to make it juicier, or remove the lid to reduce the liquid. There should be plenty of liquid to spoon over rice, but it shouldn't be soupy. The stew can be made 1 day in advance up to this point.
• Meanwhile, wipe clean the reserved pan from the herbs. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and heat over medium. Add the rhubarb and cook until the color deepens on each side, about 2 minutes per side. You're not fully cooking the rhubarb here; it should maintain its shape and still have a slight bite to it, as it will finish cooking in the stew.
• Gently place the rhubarb pieces in the stew, increase the heat to medium-low and cook, partly covered, until the rhubarb is tender and releases its tangy flavor, about 10 minutes. Don't stir the rhubarb; you want it to maintain its shape and not turn mushy. Taste the stew as it simmers; add more lemon juice for extra acidity, if needed, and more sugar for balance, if you like. Serve over rice.

RAVEN'S-NEST CAKE

Steps:

• Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans; dust with cocoa. Whisk together cocoa, flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt; beat on low speed until just combined. Increase speed to medium and add eggs, buttermilk, water, oil, and vanilla. Beat until smooth, about 3 minutes.
• Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake until set and a toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes, then turn out from pans and transfer to wire racks. Let cool completely.
• Buttercream: Meanwhile, beat butter on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and add confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition. (After every two additions, increase speed to high and beat 10 seconds, then reduce speed to medium again.) Add vanilla and beat until buttercream is smooth. Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature, and beat on low speed until smooth before using.
• Nest: Pour vodka into an 8-inch cake pan. Freeze until very cold, at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (but not in) a pot of boiling water. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a piping bag; snip off a very small piece of end. Drizzle chocolate into cold vodka in a circular motion, stopping after a few rings form. Remove chocolate rings with two forks to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with remaining chocolate, layering rings to build a nest shape. Refrigerate until nest is firm enough to lift and condensation has evaporated, about 30 minutes.
• Spread 2 cups frosting onto top of 1 cooled layer. Top with remaining layer; frost top and sides with remaining 2 cups frosting. (Unfrosted cake layers can be stored, wrapped in plastic, at room temperature or refrigerated overnight. Frosted cake can be refrigerated overnight.) Place nest atop cake, and nestle in candies and bird.

RAVEN'S BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Heat the shortening in a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir in the beef stew meat. Cook and stir until the beef is evenly browned, and no longer pink. Drain and discard any excess grease. Transfer beef to a large pot, and add beef stock, onion, garlic, bay leaves, beef bouillon, salt, and pepper. Cook on medium heat until beef begins to tender, about 1 hour.
• Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the carrots; cook and stir until the carrots begins to tender. Stir in the potatoes and celery. Continue to cook and stir until all the vegetables are tender. Transfer the vegetables to the large pot. Simmer until the beef is very tender, about 1 hour more.