El Rancho Stew, US Army, 1941

El Rancho Stew, US Army, 1941

 

El Rancho Stew first appeared as a US Army recipe in 1917. It could be categorized as an early Tex-Mex recipe, but its true origins are obscure. El Rancho stew may have originated as a derivative of the army’s “Spanish Beef” recipe, but it also bears some similarity to Caldo Gallego. A thick soup or stew from Galicia in northwestern Spain, variations of Caldo Gallego may include carrots, turnips, greens and potatoes.

 

The only difference between the 1917 and the 1941 versions of El Rancho Stew is that red chilies, cumin, and oregano (added to taste) were replaced by chili powder. Therefore, this version of the El Rancho stew recipe could be found in use from 1917 through 1944. The current version (2003) of the US Armed Forces recipe for El Rancho stew bears only a superficial resemblance to its ancestor, having dropped the tomatoes, chilies, turnips and cabbage, and added frozen peas. On the other hand, it is interesting to note that in the  1941 version "any kind of fresh meat and any vegetables" could be used.

   

Yield: 4 servings

U.S.                         Metric                     Ingredients

20 oz                   545 g                       meat (beef, pork or veal), fresh, without bone and                                                                         

                                                                       with little fat, cut in about 1½-inch cubes

10 oz                       275 g                       potatoes, cut into large pieces

2.6 fl oz                   75 ml                       tomatoes, canned, crushed

or

6.4 oz                      180 g                       tomatoes, fresh

3.2 oz                  90 g                         carrots, quartered lengthwise

4.5 oz                  130 g                       turnips, sliced across grain

4.5 oz                  130 g                       cabbage, cut in eighths

3.2 oz                  90 g                         onions, small whole

0.08 oz/1tsp         2.25 g                  chili powder

 

Procedure

1.      Place the meat, turnips, carrots, and tomatoes in a large pan of cold water.

2.      The liquid should cover all the solids by about an inch (2.5 cm).

3.      Simmer until the meat is tender and then add the remaining vegetables.

4.      Season with salt and chili powder, and simmer until the vegetables are done.

5.      All ingredients should be thoroughly cooked but not broken into pieces.

6.      The stew is improved by a bunch of parsley chopped fine and added just before serving; a few sprigs of parsley may be used for garnishing.

7.      Serve hot with the vegetables whole, if possible.

8.      Any kind of fresh meat and any vegetables may be used in this stew.

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