Published in the Daily News-Miner on December 31, 2008
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Published in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on January 15, 2009
As winter wears on, few comforts are as satisfying as warm, hearty foods. For me, nothing delivers more wholesome warmth than a bubbling pot of stew. A simple dish consisting of slow-cooked meats and vegetables and the thick, savory liquid in which they simmered, stew remains my favorite way to bring some heat to a wintry night’s meal.
When considering what stew to make, I have a vast list of recipes and countries from which to choose. From France there is bouillabaisse, the classic, fragrant fish stew. Spain offers cocido, brimming with salted meats, chicken, sausage and chickpeas, while Ireland serves up mutton-laden Irish stew. Here in America, the South dishes out bold, game-filled Brunswick stew, gumbo and burgoo. The list goes on and on, for almost every country fights the chill.
This universal popularity comes as no surprise, for there are countless benefits to this food. With a stew, all the ingredients are plunked into the same pot, sparing me from fussing with mounds of dirty prep and cooking dishes at the end of the night.
Likewise, when making a stew, I need not worry about using tough or cheaper cuts of meat. The slow-cooking stew tenderizes its ingredients as it simmers, producing a lusciously soft and succulent meal.
In what the ingredients simmer can vary according to time, contents and mood. Some nights I merely pour in water. Other times I opt for homemade stock. In certain instances I add beer or wine or a combination of the aforementioned liquids. There are no strict rules on what to use.
Best of all, I can step out of the kitchen and the redolent stew will bubble away, untouched, for several hours, tending to itself and filling my house with enticing aromas while I prepare for my dinner guests. It’s one-pot cooking at its finest.
Whatever their quirks and variations, almost every stew recipe was born out of necessity, using whatever cooks had on hand. In the case of Irish stew, these staples of the kitchen were old, economically unviable sheep, or mutton, along with potatoes and onions.
Beginning with mutton, Irish cooks of yore would place equal parts of meat, potato and onion in separate layers in a large casserole or kettle. They added a pinch of salt and pepper, poured in enough water to cover the layers, and clamped a tight lid on the kettle. They then set the concoction over an open fire and left it to simmer for two to three hours. Once the mutton and potatoes were tender and the stewing liquid had thickened and become infused with juices, dinner could be served.
Little of this recipe has changed since the stew became Ireland’s national dish in the early 1800s. Today, it is more commonly made with lamb, not mutton, and it simmers on a stove or cook top instead of an open fire. Otherwise, it’s the same nurturing repast from generations ago.
Similar to Irish stew, bouillabaisse began when French fishermen tossed their least worthwhile catch into big cooking pots. Along with the unmarketable fish and a generous dose of olive oil and water, they dropped onions, garlic, tomato and fennel into the cauldrons.
Ladled into bowls and eaten with slices of grilled or crusty bread, aromatic bouillabaisse satisfied Marseille fishermen in the rawest weather.
Unlike its one-meat Irish counterpart, bouillabaisse demands a wide assortment of seafood. Firm-fleshed fish such as halibut and eel that are perfect for eating in chunks, flakier fish such as hake and lemon sole that disintegrate and create a sumptuous broth, and inexpensive shellfish all find their way into the pot.
Whenever I’m cooking for a crowd, I gravitate toward the more exotic or obscure stews such as Brunswick stew and Kentucky burgoo. Both include up to a dozen vegetables, of which okra and butterbeans are musts. They additionally boast a mixture of such meats as chicken, beef, pork, lamb, rabbit and squirrel.
The last two ingredients hint at when and how Brunswick stew and burgoo came to exist. During frontier times, when every household held at least one hunter, these stews were made from whatever game was brought home from the hunt.
Today, many cooks, including me, forgo the inclusion of small game. They also tend to reduce the serving sizes, particularly when making spicy burgoo. Some traditional recipes call for 200 pounds of potatoes and 600 pounds of meat and produce hundreds, sometimes thousands, of gallons of burgoo. Perfect for catering the Kentucky Derby, where burgoo is customarily served, but not for a dinner party of eight.
On those blustery evenings when I’m craving comfort rather than exotic food, I put on a pot of creamy waterzooi. A Belgian specialty, waterzooi originally featured freshwater fish but now usually consists of older stewing hens. Paired with leeks, carrots, potatoes, parsley, cream and the occasional egg yolk for thickening, the chicken version provides a gentle, nourishing feast that warms me to the core.
If I can’t find a stewing chicken at my local market, I substitute a roaster or, in a pinch, chicken breasts. I then use a rich chicken stock for my stewing liquid. The stock will compensate for the flavor lost by swapping the stewing chicken for a younger bird.
As with other stews, waterzooi can be prepared in advance. Refrigerated and allowed to meld overnight, the flavors become richer and more full-bodied. Waterzooi keeps for three days but, as I am such a huge fan, I rarely have a drop leftover from its debut.
With winter on its way, I have the perfect meal for keeping the cold at bay. Warm, hearty, one-pot stews provide the ideal antidote to a dreary and frigid night.
IRISH STEW
Serves 4
3 pounds lamb, cut into cubes
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
3 leeks, washed, rinsed and chopped
2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 pounds potatoes, washed, peeled and sliced
2 cups water, plus more if needed
Place half the meat on the bottom of a medium-sized Dutch oven or small stockpot and sprinkle salt and pepper over top. Put half of the leeks and onions on top of the layer of meat, and sprinkle salt and pepper. Then place half of the sliced potatoes on top of them. Sprinkle the potatoes with salt, pepper and half of the chopped parsley. Repeat the same steps for the remaining lamb, leeks, onions, potatoes and seasonings.
Pour the water over the ingredients and then cover the pot. Simmer gently over medium-low heat for roughly 2 hours or until the lamb and potatoes are cooked and tender, checking the stew periodically to see if more water is needed. The stewing juices should be thick and gravy-like. Ladle into bowls and serve.
KENTUCKY BURGOO
This recipe is loosely based upon one found in John Egerton’s “Southern Food.” Egerton, in turn, had adapted his from Kentucky newspaper columnist James Tandy Ellis’s steps for 1 1/2 gallons of burgoo. Although the following produces a smaller quantity, you still end up with a lot of stew.
Serves 10 to 12
1 pound of lean beef, cubed
1 whole chicken, roughly 3 to 4 pounds in size
3 cups water, plus more as needed
4 cups beef stock
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup white onions, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 green bell peppers, diced
2 cups frozen or canned corn
3 14.5-ounce cans of diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot paprika
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 cup frozen butterbeans
1 cup fresh or frozen cut okra
1/8 cup lemon juice
Place the beef, chicken, water and stock in large (at least 12 quart) stockpot. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the meat is tender, about 45 minutes to an hour. Remove the chicken and allow the meat to cool slightly before removing the bones and returning the chicken to the pot.
Add one at a time the potatoes, garlic, onion, carrots, peppers, cans of tomatoes and their juices, the spices, salt and pepper, stirring with each addition to incorporate the ingredients. Cook over medium-low for two hours, stirring periodically so that the contents don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Monitor the amount of liquid in the pot and add more water if the stew becomes too dry.
Tumble in the butterbeans, okra and lemon juice, stir together, and taste to determine if additional salt or pepper is needed. Simmer for another hour or two, stirring, tasting the seasonings and adding more water as needed. When finished, the stew will be thick and rich in flavor.
BELGIAN WATERZOOI
Serves 6
1 whole stewing or roaster chicken (roughly 3 pounds) or 3 pounds of chicken breasts
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 dried bay leaves
3 sprigs fresh thyme or 3/4 teaspoon dried
4 sprigs fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried, plus extra for garnish
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large white onion, finely chopped
2 leeks, washed, rinsed and finely chopped
5 or 6 cups chicken stock
2 carrots, peeled and cut into half-coins
2 ribs celery, washed and diced
2 large baking potatoes, washed, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 cup heavy cream
Rinse the interior of the chicken or the chicken breasts and then season with salt and pepper. If using a whole chicken, place the bay leaves, thyme and parsley inside. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or stock pot and add the onions and leeks. Saute until soft and translucent. Place the chicken in the pot and add enough stock to cover the chicken. If using chicken breasts, toss in the herbs at this point. Bring the liquid to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Continue to simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove the cover and skim the surface of the liquid to remove any fat. Add the carrots and celery, place the lid back on the pot and continue to simmer for another 30 minutes.
Add the cubed potatoes and continue cooking for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the potatoes and chicken are tender.
Remove the chicken from the pot and allow it to rest until it is cool enough to be carved into small pieces. Set aside.
Slowly add the cream to the stew, stirring to combine. Simmer for several minutes until the liquid has thickened and then add the chicken pieces to the pot. Taste the stew and add additional salt and pepper if necessary. Sprinkle fresh parsley on top. Ladle the waterzooi into bowls and serve with a sliced baguette or thick-crusted wheat bread.
© 2009, Kathy Hunt. Distributed by Tribune Media Services Inc.