The Ball recipe has been tested with the proportions provided in the recipe so you don't need to go half-and-half. Thicker (i.e. denser) mixtures aren't prohibited if they have been professionally tested as given. The soup proportions are designed to provide a safe product with latitude for various ingredients. So I guess it's apples and oranges. If you want a beef stew with stock you might check out the recipes at the link. They are similarly safe-tested and reliable. There's a beef stew with stock on page 23 of the document. Just be sure the meat is lean and well-trimmed. Carol Here is a link that might be useful: Wisconsin Extension Canning Meats and Game

The trick is to let your flavoring vegetables cook down with the meat from the beginning, and to put your "eating" vegetables, the ones that you want to have large pieces of which retain their identity, into the stew to cook for their appropriate times. That way they take on the flavor of the stew, and add some of their own to the stew, and are correctly cooked to serve. My very favorite carrots are the ones cooked in beef or lamb stew. :) This does require enough experience to know how long the meat takes, how long the vegetables each take, and how much added time you'll need because of the additions. The reason restaurants cook the vegetables separately and add them at the end isn't because it's better--it isn't!--but because it works best for restaurant management where you have different people eating at different times and requesting the stew on demand (service within 20 minutes). That's the only way to keep the veg from going mushy over three hours of dinner service. The veg are par cooked. The stew is cooked and held at keep warm temperature. A portion of each is added to a pan over high heat and brought to temperature and finished. Made in the pot and served family style is superior but only the occasional auberge or outsider place is set up to do it that way for serving the public.

I'd get her some freezer containers ;-). -Do they know if their refrigerator is even a food-safe temperature of 40°F or colder? If it's warmer than that, trash it - especially if they placed it in the refrigerator while still hot or really warm. -Food that contains potentially deadly bacteria doesn't necessarily "smell bad", so that's not a good test. -How was the food handled when it was placed into the refrigerator? Was it quick-chilled using an ice water bath in the sink (the prefered method), or was it left out at room temperature (the not-so-great method), or something else? -Was it reheated in the pot several times and placed back in the refrigerator each time? Too many variables for me to give it a clean bill of health - I'd trash it and call it one of life's lessons. If they are going to consume it, I would certainly follow pilllog's method, except it needs to come to a complete boil, not below boiling, in order to kill bacteria. By the time it's goes through a vigorous boil, there really isn't any real nutritional value left in it - so why bother wasting time and cooking energy? -Grainlady

Ours was delicious. The meat was fork tender. DH made a few substitutions. Not wanting to open a new bottle of wine, he used the tag ends of an open bottle and finished it out with sherry. He also added sherry to the umami bomb 🤷‍♀️ I’ve learned not to question. This recipe will definitely be in rotation for the one or four days out of the year that we put on long pants and socks. For those of you looking for more stew recipes, this is a good one. No meat and very rich. Mushroom BourguignonMELISSA CLARK YIELD4 to 6 servings TIME1 hour David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.Meaty mushrooms simmered with pearl onions, wine and carrots make for a rich, wintry Bourguignon-style stew. The quality of the stock here makes a big difference, so if you’re not using homemade, buy a good brand. If you’re a meat eater, beef broth adds a familiar brawny character to this dish, but mushroom or vegetable broth work just well, especially because the whole dish is rounded out with a tamari for depth. For the best flavor, use as many kinds of mushrooms as you can get, and let them really brown when searing; that caramelization adds a lot of depth to the sauce. Maitake mushrooms give this a brisketlike texture, in a very good way INGREDIENTS 6 tablespoons butter or extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed 2 pounds mixed mushrooms, such as portobello, cremini, white button, shiitake or oyster, cut into 1-inch chunks (about 10 cups) 8 ounces peeled pearl onions (2 cups), larger ones cut in half Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 large leek or 2 small leeks, white and light green parts, diced (1 1/2 cups) 2 carrots, thinly sliced 3 garlic cloves (2 minced, 1 grated to a paste) 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 ½ cups dry red wine 1 ½ cups beef, mushroom or vegetable broth 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce, plus more to taste 3 large fresh thyme branches or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1 bay leaf 3 to 4 ounces chanterelle or oyster mushrooms, thinly sliced (about 1 cup) Smoked paprika, for serving Polenta, egg noodles or mashed potatoes, for serving Chopped flat-leaf parsley, for serving Step 1Add 2 tablespoons butter or oil to a large Dutch oven or pot and set it over medium heat. When the fat is hot, stir in half the mushrooms and half the pearl onions. (If it doesn’t all fit in the pot in one layer, you might have to do this in three batches, rather than two.) Without moving them around too much, cook the mushrooms until they are brown on one side, about 3 minutes. Stir and let them brown on the other side, 2 to 3 minutes more. Use a slotted spoon to transfer mushrooms and onions to a large bowl or plate and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Repeat with another 2 tablespoons butter and the remaining mushrooms and pearl onions, seasoning them as you go. Step 2Reduce heat to medium-low. Add another 1 tablespoon butter or oil to pan. Add leeks and carrot and sauté until the leeks turn lightly golden and start to soften, 5 minutes. Add the 2 minced garlic cloves and sauté for 1 minute longer. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Stir in flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, then add wine, broth, 1 tablespoon tamari, thyme and bay leaf, scraping up the brown bits at bottom of pot. Step 3Add reserved cooked mushrooms and pearl onions back to the pot and bring to a simmer. Partly cover the pot and simmer on low heat until carrots and onions are tender and sauce is thick, 30 to 40 minutes. Taste and add more salt and tamari if needed. Stir in the grated garlic clove. Step 4Just before serving, heat a small skillet over high heat and add ½ tablespoon butter or oil. Add half of the sliced chanterelles or oyster mushrooms and let cook without moving until they are crisp and brown on one side, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with salt and smoked paprika. Repeat with remaining butter and mushrooms. Serve mushroom Bourguignon over polenta, noodles or mashed potatoes, topped with fried mushrooms and parsley. Featured in: The Meat Lover’s Guide To Eating Less Meat.