It’s fall and the time has come to re-enter the kitchen and cook again, this time of year makes me stewing mad! Or mad for stewing. Simple one pot cooking with aromas and fragrances that fill the house bring joy to my senses and stomach this time of year.
Stewing is an ancient form of cooking. Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a stew of lentils. That must have some stew. Archeological research shows ancient Amazonian tribes cooked stews in sea turtle shells. As man progressed and invented pottery, stews began to maintain a larger presence in the diet. Stews exist any time two or more ingredients are cooked together in liquid. Stews became a staple of the peasant class in the Middle Ages, and often today, we think of stews as peasant food. Viva the peasant! They ate more nourishing food. I would much prefer a bowl of Carbonnade a la Flamande to a filet mignon. Carbonnade a la Flamande is a rich hearty Belgian beef stew with onions and Belgian Ale Beef and beer. The Flemish are geniuses.
Stewing and its culinary cousin, braising, are simple techniques. Follow some simple rules and you can create stews out of almost any ingredients. Use one pan and one pan only. Every time you change pans, you lose flavor, and a stew is all about concentrating flavors. Uniformity in cutting the meat and vegetables is also key. Consistent sizes means even cooking and will also make the stew eat better.
The next step is drying the meat. If you are trying to brown the meat, it must be dry or it will steam and become tasteless and gray. Before searing the meat, coat with seasoned flour and shake excess off to prevent lumping. Next you need a heavy pan that heats evenly. I find old-fashioned Dutch ovens work best and can be used on the stovetop or in the oven. Sear the meat in small batches so it browns evenly and does not steam. After browning all the meat, add the vegetables of your choice. Sweat lightly to develop flavor but don’t overcook.
Deglazing is the step that will bring out flavor and color in your stew. This is done by adding wine, beer or stock and scraping the bottom of the pan gently, a wooden spoon works best here to avoid metal on metal contact. At this point you can add the meat back to the pot and add your choice of herbs. Dried herbs work best in stews. The long cooking time dissipates the flavor of herbs like basil, cilantro or other soft herbs. Hard herbs like thyme and rosemary work well in fresh form in stews.
Now you are ready to let the stew simmer. This is where time and moisture will help break down the collagen – the connective tissue in meat that releases gelatin adding richness to the stew and tenderizing the meat. These steps can be used interchangeably for any meat stew using beef, pork, veal, lamb or chicken. Seafood stews require less cooking time since fish has little or no connective tissue. For a lighter stew pork, veal or chicken stew do not brown the items and use light colored stocks. For a lighter, less beefy flavor, chicken broth can be mixed with beef broth for veal, pork or lamb stews.
In the fall, I especially enjoy chicken fricassee – a white chicken stew with onions and finished with heavy cream and egg yolks. Dumplings or egg noodles go well with this dish.
If you follow these steps you can create a variety of stews adding different ingredients such as fennel, parsnips and leeks which are a few of my faves. Also, try experimenting with different wines or beers. One caveat with beer – some types can be bitter and when cooked down that taste intensifies. One way to modify that effect is caramelizing onions and/or carrots to offset the bitter effects of hops.
This fall get stewing mad and experiment with these techniques and create your own comfort foods. Or, if you want to play it safe, try these favorites of mine for Chicken Fricassee and Carbonnada a la Flamande. Until next month Bon Appétit.
Carbonnade a la Flamande
Ingredients
- 3 Pounds beef chuck trimmed and cubed
- 8 Strips chopped bacon
- 4 Medium onions sliced
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon flour
- 1 Bottle Chimay ale
- 1 Quart +1 pint beef stock
- 2 Bay leaves
- 1 Teaspoon thyme
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- Chopped parsley for garnish
- ¼ Cup olive oil
Instructions
- Dry beef. Dredge in seasoned flour.
- In Dutch oven, over medium heat, heat oil. Brown beef in small batches. Remove.
- Add bacon. Fry until crisp.
- Add onions. Reduce heat to low. Caramelize – Cook to golden brown, add brown sugar. Cook to rich brown.
- Add beef. Deglaze with beer. Scrape pan. Add stock. Bring to boil.
- Reduce to simmer. Add herbs. Cover. Simmer for 1½ hours.
- Garnish with parsley. Serve with brown bread, stone ground mustard and Chimay ale.
Chicken Friccasee
Ingredients
- 1 Chicken cut in eighths
- 3 Medium onions small dice
- 6 Ounces butter
- 6 Ounces flour
- 3 Quarts chicken stock
- Bouquet garnish: 1 Bay leaf, 1 celery stalk, 4 parsley stems, 2 sprigs thyme tied in cheesecloth
- 5 Egg yolks beaten with 1 pint cream
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- Salt
- White pepper and nutmeg to taste
Instructions
- Season cut chicken with salt and white pepper.
- In Dutch oven melt butter over medium heat. Sear chicken but DO NOT BROWN. Add onion at same time as chicken.
- Add flour. Cook 2 minutes on medium heat.
- Add stock. Bring to simmer stirring until sauce thickens.
- Add bouquet garnish. Cover.
- Place in 300° oven. Cook 45 minutes.
- Remove chicken from sauce. Skim to degrease.
- Reduce over medium heat until sauce coats back of wooden spoon.
- Whisk cream and egg yolks in bowl. Ladle a little hot sauce into cream mixture. Add entire mixture to sauce. Bring to simmer. DO NOT BOIL.
- Season with salt, white pepper, lemon juice and nutmeg.
- Pour sauce over chicken. Serve with parsley-egg noodles or rice enjoy.
