Stewed Book Review

I was sent the Stewed Recipe Book along with the delicious Stewed range that are reviewed here and if you read my blog at all you can see a good few recipes made by me, I adore cooking.

 I also love stewed meat,  one pot delights that satisfy and score wads of Mummy brownie points

A stew is especially in the cold grey days of winter. I am more of a cook from scratch cook so this book appeals in every way. Alan Rosenthal the founder of Stewed as well as listing fabulous recipes such as Slow Cooked Beef Stroganoff and Coq Au Vin, he also tell stories of some of the countries he visited and friends who have passed on family recipes.

There are some recipes that have me drooling just reading the ingredients, is that just me that does that when scanning a recipe. Plenty of photographs to to conjure up more salivating.

I have to make the Chicken and Prawn Jambalaya, its a favourite dish to eat and I own up to buying it ready made as I thought it seemed difficult. The list of dry ingredients are in my cupboard, the fresh easy to get hold of.

Alan mentions that it was traditionally a poor man's food made with any meat you could find including alligator. Did the husband come home and say cook my Jambalaya and make it snappy!!!

Here is a warming Cullen Skink from the recipe book to tantalise you more than I can.

Cullen Skink

Alan says

I discovered Cullen Skink in Scotland when I was at university studying for my degree. Although traditionally more of a soup originating from the small fishing village of Cullen, I think it also makes a great stew by simply adding less milk. I love smoked haddock and this is a really simple recipe to enjoy it at its best.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 60g butter

• 1 onion, finely sliced

• 1 leek, finely sliced

• 600g floury potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-3cm chunks

• 600ml whole milk

• 1 bay leaf

• Freshly grated nutmeg

• 600g undyed smoked haddock, skinned and cut into 2 inch pieces

• Salt and black pepper

To serve

• Chopped parsley

• Grated mature cheddar

Begin by melting 45g of the butter in a heavy based pan that has a lid. Add the onions and leeks and gently sweat them, with the lid on the pan, for 15-20 minutes until they are extremely soft and become almost sweet.

Next add the chunks of potato and cook gently, again with the lid on, for a further 10 minutes until the potatoes are starting to soften a little.

Add the milk, bay leaf and a little freshly grated nutmeg. Bring up to simmering point adding some black pepper to the pan. Cook gently until the potatoes are very soft and beginning to break up – probably about 20-25 minutes. Then turn off the heat and squash some of the potatoes with the back of a fork into the milk to thicken it. Then, simply stir in the smoked haddock pieces, cover with the lid, and leave for five minutes off the heat to allow the haddock to just cook.

Lift off the lid and stir gently to combine all the flavours, trying not break up the fish too much. Have a taste, depending on the cure of the haddock, you may need to add some more salt, but you may not! So be careful. Finally melt in the remaining butter.

Serve in bowls topped with grated cheddar and some chopped parsley, freshly ground black pepper and a hunk of bread on the side. Perfect for breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Published by Ebury Press, 7th October 2010, £14.99 Hardback

Stewed! is a dynamic young company founded by 33-year-old entrepreneur and passionate foodie Alan Rosenthal. Giving a modern twist to an old-fashioned dish, with its funky packaging and design, as well as imaginative ingredient combinations, stewed! has taken the supermarkets by storm. Stewed! pots are available in Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Budgens, John Lewis’ food hall and Ocado.


Divided into chapters by region, the stewed! cookbook offers mouth-watering recipes from the Americas, British Isles, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Economical, tasty, comforting and simple to make at home, this fantastic new fully illustrated collection of recipes will appeal to all generations of stew-lovers.