Everyone has memories of stew. If they don`t, they should.
A financial analyst remembers making a fish stew for her poker group. No one ever got to poker; they just sat in the kitchen all evening, eating the stew and gossiping.
A housewife remembers frequent childhood car trips from Macon to Atlanta with her family, long before the days of interstates, and knowing that when they rounded a certain bend, there would be a little shack that had the best Brunswick stew in the world.
But probably the most common and best memory of stew is the simplest: a hearty, soul and stomach satisfying meal in a bowl on a cold winter day. Preferably in front of the fireplace. With some thick, crusty bread to sop up the gravy and a glass of robust red wine.
Because they are so satisfying, stews can help carry out a New Year`s resolution of losing weight. It`s a food that`s eaten slowly, requires a lot more chewing than a dish of ice cream and usually contains lots of complex carbohydrates that will keep you feeling full for a long time.
”Stew is the most uncomplicated meal I can think of,” said cookbook author Bernard Clayton Jr., who cooked several hundred stews and soups in his Bloomington, Ind., kitchen when he wrote ”The Complete Book of Soups and Stews” (Simon & Schuster, paperback, $9.95).
”You don`t have to worry about the kind of silver on the table, you don`t have to think about the number of dishes; it is simply a soul-satisfying meal in itself. A stew stands alone,” Clayton said during a telephone interview.
He means that literally as well as figuratively. When asked the difference between a soup and a stew, Clayton talked about the stew he had bubbling on his stove at that moment.
”It`s so thick, a spoon will stand up in it. A stew is really a thick soup, it has more ingredients. If you put a spoon in it and the spoon slouches over, it`s too thin. It`s soup.”
Although we in the United States tend to think of stew as a mixture of long simmered chunks of beef, onions, potatoes, carrots and tomatoes, perhaps thickened with flour and seasoned with wine, stews have a worldwide appeal;
and their personalities reflect their homeland.
”Stews are part of the peasant cooking in Mexico,” said chef Rick Bayless, who, with his wife Deann, owns Frontera Grill here and are the authors of ”Authentic Mexican; Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico”
(Morrow, $24.95).
”There is a lot of meat in Mexico that is not raised like ours. It`s from leaner animals and is a little tougher, so people stew it,” he said, speaking of Mexican stews which typically feature pork, venison and chilies.
Greek stews may feature combinations of lamb, artichokes, eggplant, olive oil and avgolemono sauce, an egg-lemon mixture. The classic Greek stew called stifado uses beef, but adds pickling spice and wine vinegar for an unusual flavor.
In Morocco the stew is likely to be called tagine, the same name as the earthenware pot topped with a conical lid in which it`s cooked. Tagine usually features chicken, chick peas and raisins, seasoned with turmeric and saffron. Italy? Think veal, olives and capers for a spezzatino di vitello-the veal stew that is popular in the Neapolitan area.
To help you along, not only with traditional American-style stews but some of the ethnic varieties as well, here are some recipes to lend warmth to the coldest of weather.
The following Moroccan stew, called a tagine, is adapted from ”Good Food from a Small Kitchen” by Moira Hodgson (Times Books, $15.95).
This kind of stew is extremely easy to make and can be served in the skillet in which it is cooked. The stew is served in a sauce that is spiced with turmeric and saffron. It cooks to a deep golden orange.
CHICKEN TAGINE WITH CHICK PEAS
Four servings
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
1 chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, cutup
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium-sized onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 cinnamon stick
Pinch of saffron threads
Coarse salt, freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup seedless raisins
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (coriander) leaves
1 can (20 ounces) chick peas, drained
Rice or couscous
1. Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels and brown them in the oil in a large skillet.
2. Add the garlic, onion, turmeric, cinnamon stick, saffron, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer gently over low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent the chicken pieces from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Cook 20 minutes.
3. Add the raisins, cilantro and chick peas. Mix well, cover and continue cooking 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is tender. Correct the seasonings and serve with rice or couscous.
This recipe for Brunswick stew is adapted from ”The Complete Book of Stews and Soups” by Bernard Clayton Jr. (Simon & Schuster, $9.95).
BRUNSWICK STEW
Six servings
Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: About 2 hours
1 stewing chicken, about 4 pounds
1/3 cup flour
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 pound salt pork, cut in 1/4-inch dice
3 medium onions, minced
8 cups water
6 cups tomatoes, fresh or canned, finely chopped
1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
2 cups lima beans, fresh or frozen
2 cups whole kernel corn
2 cups chopped red bell peppers
3 cups potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce
1 cup red wine
1. Cut up the stewing chicken and shake pieces in flour in a plastic bag until they are well dusted. In a large, deep skillet, melt butter until it is foaming. Lay the chicken pieces in one layer without crowding. Over high heat, brown the pieces until nicely browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Lift out the pieces and set aside.
2. In the same skillet, fry the salt pork until the fat is rendered and the dice are crisp.
3. Add onions and cook over medium heat about 10 minutes, or until translucent and tender.
4. Pour the water into a large (6-quart) stew pot, and scrape in onions and salt pork bits from the skillet. Add chicken, tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 1 1/2 hours.
5. Add lima beans, corn, peppers and potatoes. Taste, and add seasonings as desired. Pour in Worcestershire sauce, hot red pepper sauce and red wine.
6. After 2 hours of cooking, the chicken should pull easily from the bones. You can either remove them, and cut the chicken into smaller pieces, or leave as is.
7. The stew should be moist and somewhat firm. If it is too thick, thin with water or chicken stock. If you find there is too much liquid, Bernard Clayton`s suggestion is to ladle some liquid out, boil it down over high heat and then return the concentrated liquid to the pot.
Olives, capers and veal make this a classic Neapolitan dish. The recipe is adapted from ”Italian Family Cooking” by Anne Casale (Fawcett Columbine, $9.95).
VEAL STEW
(SPEZZATINO DI VITELLO)
Six servings
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: About 1 hour
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 pounds boned veal shoulder, well trimmed of fat, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 large yellow onion, halved, thinly sliced
2 carrots, trimmed, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups canned Italian plum tomatoes (16 ounces), coarsely chopped, including juice
1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh sage or 1 1/2 teaspoons crumbled dried sage
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 can (6 ounces) small, pitted California black olives, well drained
3 tablespoons capers, rinsed, well drained
2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley leaves (optional garnish)
1. In a 5-quart Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat until haze forms, then add butter. Add meat in 2 batches and saute, stirring constantly, until lightly golden. Remove with slotted spoon. Discard most of the pan drippings, leaving about 2 tablespoons.
2. Add onion and carrots and saute, stirring constantly to loosen any fragments that might be stuck to bottom of pan, until barely tender, about 2 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes, sage, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Return meat to pan and bring to a boil, uncovered, over high heat, stirring constantly. Turn heat down to low and cook, partially covered, stirring frequently until meat is tender, about 1 hour. Watch cooking liquid; if it starts to evaporate, add about 1/4 cup hot water.
4. Add olives and capers and continue to cook, partially covered, an additional 5 minutes.
5. When ready to serve, remove bay leaves and transfer stew to serving dish and garnish with minced parsley.
This seafood stew recipe is adapted from ”Good Food from a Small Kitchen.
MIXED SEAFOOD STEW WITH AIOLI
Four servings
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
1/2 pound medium-sized shrimp
1/2 pound scallops
2 pounds boneless skinless cod, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
2 bottles (8 ounces each) clam juice
2 cups dry white wine
1 celery stalk with leaves
1 small bunch parsley
1 medium onion, chopped
Coarse salt, freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
2 leeks, chopped
1 carrot, sliced
Aioli:
1 egg yolk
1 garlic clove, crushed
About 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Coarse salt, freshly ground pepper to taste
1 loaf French or Italian bread, cut into 1-inch slices
1 tablespoon flour
1. Peel shrimp and save the shells. Cut scallops in half if they are large. Put scallops, shrimp and cod in a bowl. Sprinkle with the saffron, toss, and set aside.
2. Put clam juice, wine, shrimp shells, celery leaves (not the stalk), parsley stalks (not the leaves), one-fourth of the onion and salt and pepper in pot. Simmer, covered, 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat the butter with the oil in a heavy casserole. Fry the remaining onion, garlic, leeks, carrot and chopped celery stalk.
4. While the vegetables are cooking, make the aioli. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk until it is thick and sticky. Add the crushed garlic. Little by little, add the oil, beating constantly until you have a smooth emulsion. If you add too much oil too fast, the aioli will curdle. If this happens, beat another egg yolk and add it. Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Transfer to a small serving bowl and set aside.
5. Toast the slices of bread in the oven.
6. Strain the fish-clam juice stock, correct the seasonings and add it to the vegetables. You should have about 3 cups. Bring it to a boil and then simmer 15 minutes. Dissolve flour in a little of the juices and then add mixture back to pan. Cook and stir until thickened and smooth.
7. Add fish and scallops and cook 3 minutes; then add shrimp. Cook 2 additional minutes. Remove from heat, sprinkle with parsley leaves. Serve stew in heated bowls. Pass the bread and aioli separately.
This pork stew with the distinctly Latin American annatto oil is adapted from an old Time-Life book published in 1968, ”Recipes: Latin American Cooking.”
PORK STEW WITH SWEET RED PEPPERS AND CILANTRO
(EL SECO DE CHIVO)
Four servings
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: About 1 1/2 hours
3 tablespoons annatto oil, see note
1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
3 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped; or 1 cup drained, canned Italian plum tomatoes (8 ounces)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh sweet red pepper; or substitute 1/2 cup chopped, drained, canned pimiento
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh hot red chili pepper or jalapeno pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds boneless pork loin, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 small bay leaf
1 bottle (12 ounces) beer
1 to 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)
3 cups hot cooked rice, made from 1 cup raw, long-grained rice
1. In a heavy, 10-to-12-inch skillet, heat the annatto oil over moderate heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft and transparent but not brown.
2. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Then stir in the sweet red pepper, fresh hot red chili, oregano, cumin and salt. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over high heat in a heavy 8-to-10-inch skillet untl a light haze forms above it. Add the pork cubes and cook, stirring frequently, until the pork is browned on all sides.
4. With a slotted spoon, transfer the pork to the simmering vegetable sauce, add the bay leaf, cover and cook 20 minutes. Stir in the beer and cilantro, cover and simmer 10 minutes longer. Serve from a heated platter, accompanied by the hot cooked rice.
Note: To make annatto oil, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over moderate heat. Drop in 1 teaspoon of annatto (achiote) seeds and stir them 30 seconds. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Remove pan from heat, let oil cool and strain into jar. Discard the seeds.
