This time of year, most of us start thinking about a stew. It\u2019s cold and rainy outside, we can’t go anywhere, and we\u2019re yearning for a simple, satisfying meal. A good stew has that satisfying warmth that fits the bill. That well-tempered combination of meat and vegetable flavors carried by the gravy-like liquid \u2013 not too much \u2013 carries the day. Too much liquid makes it soup, and we\u2019re seeking something more substantial at this time of the year. And since we can\u2019t feed a crowd these days, well, stew makes excellent leftovers, good for a few days in the fridge or frozen.<\/p>\n

The first dish my mother taught me was a basic beef stew \u2013 beef, potatoes, carrots, peas, and a gravy-based liquid. It became my go-to, signature dish when I began cooking for others. As with any signature dish, you always have to meet or exceed the outcome of your last presentation. By the time I was in my mid-20s, I had upgraded to carbonnade a la flamande, a Flemish dish made with beer. That pleased my guests so much that some would request it. That worked well for a few years.<\/p>\n

My own chili<\/h4>\n

When my kids were young, they favored Southwestern food, and I added chili to my repertoire \u2013 the Southwestern version of beef stew. By that time, I was comfortable in the kitchen, so I acquired a chili cookbook and began experimenting, upping the flavor quotient with elements such as chopped chipotles, smoked tomatoes and tomatillos, and other elements. Now I\u2019ve settled in to either a ground beef and black bean chili<\/a> or a good chunky beef-only chili<\/a> with beans on the side, the true Texas version, with my own blend of spices for each.<\/p>\n

My developing expertise in the kitchen also led me to sample other stews: boeuf bourguignon, Hungarian goulash, gumbos, ragouts, and a Somali version<\/a> with special xawaash spices. My current go-to stew is the North African tagine,<\/a> a luscious mix of beef or lamb with root vegetables and chopped apricots topped with sliced almonds and spiced with ras el hanout,<\/a> served over couscous.<\/p>\n

Stews, after all, are one of the oldest recipes among mankind. Greek historian Herodotus (about 450 BC) wrote that the Scythians (8\u20134 century BC) would place meat and water in an animal paunch and boil it over a bone fire. Stews were common among my Viking ancestors. A first-century AD Roman cookbook offers a lamb stew with onions and coriander and flavored with a paste of pepper, lovage, cumin, oil, wine, and garum (fermented fish sauce), the Roman condiment of choice.<\/p>\n

A\u00a0 broad variety of regional specialties<\/h4>\n

In the modern world, each region favors its own special stews that have been passed down the ancestral tree. Here in eastern Massachusetts, I suppose that clam and seafood chowders are the local stew, though I\u2019m sure many local families treasure their heirloom Irish stew, given the ethnic makeup of the area.<\/p>\n

Local cooks in different regions have perfected their versions, using what\u2019s available and fresh \u2013 could be lamb, pork, poultry, fish, or game \u2013 and vegetables that are the building blocks of a flavorful stew. Stews usually feature meat that is less expensive, tougher cuts that require cooking low and slow to tenderize the proteins. And what provides the regional culinary spark are the spices that round out the dish. Sometimes it\u2019s simple, like my mother\u2019s recipe \u2013 just a little salt and pepper and maybe some garlic. Other times, it\u2019s complex, like the recipes from Morocco or central Africa, which typically use a blend of six to ten different local spices.<\/a> What results is a belly-warming bowl of satisfaction.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your stew heritage? How about sharing some recipes?<\/p>\n

To comment, please click on \u201cRead in Browser\u201d or on the headline to view the blog on the website. You can log in and comment at the end of the blog to share your thoughts and start a discussion.<\/em><\/p>\n

If you\u2019d like to share the blog, click on the Facebook icon or one of the others. Thanks!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This time of year, most of us start thinking about a stew. It\u2019s cold and rainy outside, we can’t go anywhere, and we\u2019re yearning for a simple, satisfying meal. A good stew has that satisfying warmth that fits the bill. That well-tempered combination of meat and vegetable flavors carried by the gravy-like liquid \u2013 not too much \u2013 carries the day. Too much liquid makes it soup, and we\u2019re seeking something more substantial at this time of the year. And since we can\u2019t feed a crowd these days, well, stew makes excellent leftovers, good for a few days in the fridge or frozen. The first dish my mother taught me was a basic beef stew \u2013 beef, potatoes, carrots, peas, and a gravy-based liquid. It became my go-to, signature dish when I began cooking for others. As with any signature dish, you always have to meet or exceed the outcome of your last presentation. By the time I was in my mid-20s, I had upgraded to carbonnade a la flamande, a Flemish dish made with beer. That pleased my guests so much that some would request it. That worked well for a few years. My own chili When my kids were young, they favored Southwestern food, and I added chili to my repertoire \u2013 the Southwestern version of beef stew. By that time, I was comfortable in the kitchen, so I acquired a chili cookbook and began experimenting, upping the flavor quotient with elements such as chopped chipotles, smoked tomatoes and tomatillos, and other elements. Now I\u2019ve settled in to either a ground beef and black bean chili or a good chunky beef-only chili with beans on the side, the true Texas version, with my own blend of spices for each. My developing expertise in the kitchen also led me to sample other stews: boeuf bourguignon, Hungarian goulash, gumbos, ragouts, and a Somali version with special xawaash spices. My current go-to stew is the North African tagine, a luscious mix of beef or lamb with root vegetables and chopped apricots topped with sliced almonds and spiced with ras el hanout, served over couscous. Stews, after all, are one of the oldest recipes among mankind. Greek historian Herodotus (about 450 BC) wrote that the Scythians (8\u20134 century BC) would place meat and water in an animal paunch and boil it over a bone fire. Stews were common among my Viking ancestors. A first-century AD Roman cookbook offers a lamb stew with onions and coriander and flavored with a paste of pepper, lovage, cumin, oil, wine, and garum (fermented fish sauce), the Roman condiment of choice. A\u00a0 broad variety of regional specialties In the modern world, each region favors its own special stews that have been passed down the ancestral tree. Here in eastern Massachusetts, I suppose that clam and seafood chowders are the local stew, though I\u2019m sure many local families treasure their heirloom Irish stew, given the ethnic makeup of the area. Local cooks in different regions have perfected their versions, using what\u2019s available and fresh \u2013 could be lamb, pork, poultry, fish, or game \u2013 and vegetables that are the building blocks of a flavorful stew. Stews usually feature meat that is less expensive, tougher cuts that require cooking low and slow to tenderize the proteins. And what provides the regional culinary spark are the spices that round out the dish. Sometimes it\u2019s simple, like my mother\u2019s recipe \u2013 just a little salt and pepper and maybe some garlic. Other times, it\u2019s complex, like the recipes from Morocco or central Africa, which typically use a blend of six to ten different local spices. What results is a belly-warming bowl of satisfaction. What\u2019s your stew heritage? How about sharing some recipes? To comment, please click on \u201cRead in Browser\u201d or on the headline to view the blog on the website. You can log in and comment at the end of the blog to share your thoughts and start a discussion. If you\u2019d like to share the blog, click on the Facebook icon or one of the others. Thanks!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1871,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[69,463,9,84,380],"class_list":["post-1862","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-stories","tag-beef","tag-ground-beef","tag-recipes","tag-stew","tag-vegetables"],"yoast_head":"\n