HEARTY WINTER SOUPS and STEWS Tbook Collections
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FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES ARCHIVES HEARTY WINTER SOUPS AND STEWS TBook Collections Copyright © 2014 The New York Times Company. All rights reserved. Cover photograph by Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times This ebook was created using Vook. All of the articles in this work originally appeared in The New York Times. eISBN: 9781634614450 The New York Times Company New York, NY www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com/tbooks A Simmer of Hope By MOLLY O’NEILL January 30, 1994 Stew occupies a precarious place in the collective culinary subconscious. When the slow simmer of a potful of food makes an unctuous whole far greater than its parts, the dish has triumphed over the mundane, achieving an edible synthesis of a culture, be it Hungarian goulash or Creole gumbo. When, on the other hand, a stew fails to reconcile disparate ingredients, it can be a poignant reminder of the limits of human effort, sad to think about, horrible to taste. Desire flirts with the possibility of disaster when you hanker for a stew. But few primitive appetites have ever been risk-free, so stew persists. Outside the kitchen, to stew is to fret, to be vexed and worried, to fall victim to your own actions. In the kitchen, however, to stew is to hope — to hope that the choice of ingredients will meld felicitously as they mellow together in a pot. Instinct is needed to season properly, and to temper the developing stew with basic touches — more broth or water, a counterpoint of vinegar or lemon, a blast of fresh herbs. Anyone who stews depends on the patience it takes to soften onions and carrots tenderly, so that the aromatics caramelize and lend a sweetness to the pot; pan-toasting spices and browning meat require a certain plodding vigilance as well. In the end, the mandatory slow simmer is the most exhausting aspect of a stew. Yet, the best a cook has to offer is the extraordinary restraint it takes to let something become the best it can be, unabetted. The cook can stir and adjust seasoning but is basically little more than a witness to the adagio of a low flame nipping the underside of a big pot, working a slow alchemy. Rushing ruins the whole thing. High heat, like bitter cold, tends to force food to stiffen rather that yield, making a polarized muddle rather than a nuanced melange. Since rushing head down to the wind is winter’s preferred state, there is something cosmically dissonant about engendering the slow surrender that is stew. But therein lies the lure of a one-pot meal on a cold night. There is no high drama about simmering a stew. However fine, stew is a homey, intimate exchange, a paean to the way living things improve when their boundaries relax, when they incorporate some of the character and flavor of others. Soulful, a word inextricably linked with a good sturdy stew, is the payoff to the cook who plans a little and has the patience to abide. OLD-FASHIONED BEEF STEW 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1 pound beef stewing meat, trimmed and cut into inch cubes 5 teaspoons vegetable oil 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 cup red wine 3 1/2 cups beef broth, homemade or low-sodium canned 2 bay leaves 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped 5 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch rounds 2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes 2 teaspoons salt 1. Combine the flour and pepper in a bowl, add the beef and toss to coat well. Heat 3 teaspoons of the oil in a large pot. Add the beef a few pieces at a time; do not overcrowd. Cook, turning the pieces until beef is browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch; add more oil as needed between batches. 2. Remove the beef from the pot and add the vinegar and wine. Cook over medium-high heat, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Add the beef, beef broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a slow simmer. 3. Cover and cook, skimming broth from time to time, until the beef is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Add the onions and carrots and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle among 4 bowls and serve. Yield: 4 servings. GOULASH 2 teaspoons unsalted butter 2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced 2 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika 1 teaspoon caraway seeds 1 pound beef stewing meat, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 2 cups beef broth, homemade or low-sodium canned 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted, about 10 minutes. Stir in the paprika and caraway seeds and cook 1 minute more. In a bowl, toss the beef with the flour to coat well. Add the beef to the onion mixture. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. 2. Add 1/2 cup of the broth, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot. Gradually stir in the remaining broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a slow simmer. Cover and cook until the beef is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Stir in the lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Serve over wide egg noodles. Yield: 4 servings. LAMB STEW WITH CHICKPEAS AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 1/4 teaspoon turmeric 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste Pinch of cayenne pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 pound lamb stewing meat, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes 5 teaspoons vegetable oil 1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced 2 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced 3 cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeds and fibers scooped out, cut into3/4-inch cubes 1 19-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro 1. Combine the spices and salt in a bowl. In a large bowl, stir together 1/4 cup flour and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the spice mixture, add the lamb and coat well. Heat 3 teaspoons of oil in a large pot. Add lamb a few pieces at a time; don’t overcrowd. Turn the pieces until lamb is browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch; add a teaspoon of oil as needed between batches. 2. Remove the lamb and set aside. Add the remaining teaspoon of oil and the onion to the pot. Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 15 seconds. Stir in the lamb and remaining spice mixture. Stir in the chicken broth and bring to a boil, then reduce to a slow simmer. Cover and cook until the lamb is tender, about 1 hour. Stir in the squash and chickpeas and cook, covered, for 10 minutes. 3. Stir 3 tablespoons of the cooking liquid into 2 tablespoons of flour to make a smooth paste. Stir the paste into the stew and cook until the broth thickens and the squash is tender, about 10 minutes longer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Divide among 4 bowls, garnish with cilantro and serve. Yield: 4 servings. CURRIED ROOT VEGETABLE STEW WITH DUMPLINGS The stew: 1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter 1 small onion, peeled and chopped 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder 4 cups vegetable broth 2 medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/2-inch lengths 2 large parsnips, peeled, thick end halved lengthwise, cut across into 1/8-inch thick slices 1 small celery root, trimmed, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons salt Freshly ground pepper to taste 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley The dumplings: 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground mace 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter 1/4 cup currants 6 tablespoons milk 1. To make the stew, melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and curry powder and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the broth, carrots and parsnips. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in the celery root and sweet potato and cook for 10 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, to make the dumplings, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and mace in a bowl. Rub in the butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in the currants. Stir in the milk, just to combine. On a lightly floured surface, with floured hands, shape the dough into 1-inch balls. 3. Form a smooth paste by stirring 1/4 cup of the simmering broth into 3 tablespoons of flour, then stir it into the stew. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place the dumplings on top of the simmering stew, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Divide the stew and dumplings among 4 bowls.