Don’t Stew Over Your Stew!

December 13, 2023

Picture this, as you stumble into the house, unwrapping your hat, gloves, scarf and coat, you smell something that tells you dinner is going to be tasty tonight! The aroma from a big pot bubbling on the stove brings me right back to my childhood when my mom would make a rich and hearty stew that warmed me up physically and emotionally. It’s one of those dishes I consider “comfort food.” Mom generally made a beef stew with big chunks of carrots potatoes and onions. It was considered good luck if you found a bay leaf in your bowl. (Pretty sure that was a made up superstition by my mom who hadn’t removed the bay leaves!). Today, I not only make beef stew but also lamb, chicken, fish and vegetarian stews. Yum…lets get cooking!

Don’t stew over your stew! What I mean is, you don’t need to worry about how to make stew. I call it the “chop and dump” method of cooking. It’s similar to making soup, with lots of chopped veggies, broth and generally a protein source. Soup recipes call for chopping ingredients smaller, sometimes even blending after they have cooked down. Liquid is the main difference between a soup and a stew. Liquid is a star ingredient in soups, whereas in a stew, the liquid takes a supporting role to the large and chunky ingredients. Fortunately, both soup and stew are very nutritious. Both are loaded with veggies that are cooked and served in the same liquid, which preserves all the nutrients.

Easy Checklist for the Best Stew

Big Pot: Choose a large heavy pot. I usually pick a pot larger than I think I need, so there is no overflow when the stew is bubbling. Recipes often suggest using a Dutch oven. Dutch ovens are large heavy cast iron pots with well fitting lids. You can use a large stock pot with a lid too. Another option is to use a slow cooker. A sharp knife, a cutting board and a large bowl are all you need to prepare stew. Some folks don’t use the bowl, but I like to put my ingredients in a bowl as I chop to clear off space.
Line Up Ingredients: Prep for stew is super easy. Get everything out at once. Line up the herbs and spices for your recipe. Chop all the veggies before assembling.
Same Size: Cut veggies in equal size for equal cooking. For example, carrots should be uniform in size or one carrot chunk will be tender while another is not fully cooked. Heartier veggies like carrots, potatoes and onions cook at about the same rate so cut them all the same size. Smaller ingredients such as peas and corn are often added later in the process. It’s a personal preference…I cut my beef in bite sizes. If you buy “stew meat” it is often sold in large pieces so I cut them in half.
Sear: Searing locks in the juices resulting in more tender beef. Dust your beef in flour (called “dredging”) and sear in hot oil in the stew pot. Once you have seared the beef, remove it and then pour broth into the hot pot and scrape up the bits of beef that stuck to the bottom. This adds so much flavor.
Wine Or Not To Wine: Aromatic liquids, such as wine, beer, bouillon or stock, round out the flavor of stew. For me, adding red wine to beef or Guinness to lamb stew, takes my stew to the next level!
Choose Tough: Shanks and hocks, brisket, chuck, round, shoulder and trim/end pieces are the best cuts of meat for stewing. These tougher cuts are best as they will tenderize as they cook. Dark chicken meat is great for stew as are heartier vegetables such as leeks, eggplant or cabbage.
Cook Slow And Covered: Cooking slowly allows the meat to tenderize and the vegetables to meld their flavors. Covering allows the stew to self-baste keeping the ingredients moist and juicy.
Fresh Herbs: Chop up fresh herbs such as rosemary, parsley or thyme to add to the stew just prior to serving for an extra burst of flavor.
Reheat Not Recook: If you made stew yesterday and want to eat it again tonight, don’t “stew” it for a long period. It’s already made, just heat it enough to be hot and ready to eat. Letting it bubble for an extended period will result in mushy stew.