Create-Your-Own-Adventure Stew

In honor of Labor Day Weekend, the end of summer, the beginning of fall, and football season, it's time to break out your slow cooker or dutch oven and make a big pot of stew. When the weather starts to cool off is there anything more comforting than a big bowl of the hearty soup and a chunk of bread? Yumm.

I'm sure you have something in your mind - your idea of what a stew is - what's comforting to you. And I'm sure it's different than what I have in my mind. The beauty is that there is no right or wrong stew. It's just meat (or not), vegtables, beans (or not), some type of carb (grain, pasta, potato), seasoning and stock. It could be anything.

To help you free yourself from the one or two stew concoctions you are accumstomed to, I present this generic recipe for Stew. Adjust to your taste and experiment with some new combinations.

Create-Your-Own-Adventure Stew

1.5c Dried Beans (mix & match!)
1.5-2 lbs Meat (try to get something with a bone)
Aromatic Vegtables (Usually some combination of Celery, Carrots, Onion, Leek in equal parts, diced)
2 Cloves Minced Garlic
Aromatic Herb Bouquet Garni (pick what you like, what will go with your meat/vegtables)
Carbs (1c Dried Grain, 1-5c Cooked Pasta, 1-2 Large Red Potatoes)
1 Large Can Stewed Italian Tomatoes
Any Other Vegtables
64 oz Stock or Liquid
Salt & Pepper
Oil

1. PREP THE BEANS - If your stew will have beans, soak your beans overnight. Most need soaking, but if you use lentils you can add them without soaking. If you forget to soak your beans you can do a quick soak (cover beans with cold water, bring to a boil, boil for 2 minutes, cover tightly for 1 hour, drain - these are ready to add). Sometimes I do this while prepping the other ingredients. Of course, the easiest solution is to use canned beans - about 3 cans for this recipe.
2. BROWN THE MEAT - add some oil to your dutch oven or large pot and get it nice and hot. Brown your meat on all sides. Make sure the meat gets nice color to it. Color = Flavor. Space your meat out a bit - it helps brown evenly. If you have a lot of meat, do it in 2+ batches. When the meat is nice and brown take it out of the pot and set it aside. Note- the meat does not need to be fully cooked at this point - it is going to be added back to the stew and will finish cooking in the liquid.
3. AROMATIC VEGTABLES - At this point you may need to adjsut the oil level in the pan. If you had a lean meat, add some oil. If you had a juicy meat, pour some off. When you have acheived the propper oil level, add the celery, carrots, & leeks. Saute until lightly browned.
4. GARLIC & LIQUIDS - Get your liquids (stock and tomatoes) ready to add - have them on standby, if you will. Saute the garlic. PAY ATTENTION - burnt garlic can ruin all that you've accomplished thusfar. When the garlic is done it will be light brown and the raw smell will have turned sweet and pungent - add the liquid to stop the cooking. Add some water - up to 1 tomato-can.
5. SOLIDS - Add the beans, meat, grains or potatoes, and any other vegtables you want. Salt and Pepper to taste. Note - if you are adding pasta, I recommend cooking it separately and mixing it with the stew before serving. If you add the pasta to the stew and cook it for 2-3 hours it will be mush. Another tip - if you are using pasta as your carb, cook some and use the pasta water as the additional liquid at the end of Step 4 above. There will be some salt for flavor and some startch from the pasta that will add a little thickness to your stew.
6. BOUQUET GARNI - take the fresh herbs you want to flavor the soup with and tie them in a bunch with some butcher twine, or make a pouch out of cheesecloth. If these items are not in your kitchen you can chuck the herbs right in the pot, but you will have to fish them out at the end. The bunch/pouch makes the herbs much easier to find. If you don't retreive the herbs, the stems can add a bitter flavor.
7. LET IT SIMMER - Bring it to a boil, reduce to a simmer, partial covered. Stir occassionally to keep the contents from sticking to the bottom.
8. IT'S DONE!! - The stew is done when the meat is cooked to your liking or when the liquid has reduced to the desired thickness - about 2-3 hours. If you are using a tougher cut it may take a little longer for the meat to acheive the tenderness that you would like. If your meat still needs some time, but your liquid has reduced, add more liquid. Any liquid will do. If your meat is done but the stew isn't thick enough, take the lid off completely and increase the heat a little, stirring more often. This will speed up the reduction process.

With this simple recipe, any number of delicious stews can be made. Here are some of my favorite combinations:

Pork & Beans:
Meat - Country Pork Ribs
Beans – Garbanzos, Navy, Kidney, Lentils
Aromatic Vegtables – Carrots, Celery, Leeks, Garlic
Aromatic Herbs – Bay Leaf, Parsley
Carb – Barley
Extra Vegtables – Canned Tomatoes
Stock – Chicken

Pozole:
Meat – Beef Short Ribs & Country Pork Ribs
Beans – Kidney & Pinto
Aromatic Vegtables – Onion, Garlic
Aromatic Herbs – N/A
Carb – N/A
Extra Vegtables – Canned Tomatoes, Corn, Hatch Chiles
Stock – N/A
Other Flavors – Cayanne Pepper, Honey, Masa, Chili Powder

Latin Chicken Soup:
Meat – Chicken
Beans – N/A
Aromatic Vegtables - Carrots, Celery, Onion, Garlic
Aromatic Herbs – Bay Leaf, Cilantro
Carb – Green Plantain
Extra Vegtables – N/A
Stock – Chicken

Sunday Red Sauce:
Meat – Meat Balls
Beans – N/A
Aromatic Vegtables – Onion, Garlic
Aromatic Herbs – Parsley
Carb – N/A
Extra Vegtables – Canned Tomatoes & Tomato Paste
Stock – N/A

And this is just the beginning! Take the stew, put it in a pie shell, add a puff pastry top and have a Pot Pie. Put some bisquit dough on top and put it in the oven for a savory cobbler. Don't add a carb and pour it over mashed potatoes. Don't add meat or stock and enjoy a vegetarian version. The options are limitless!

Welcome to Stew Season!