Hearty stew for the soul: Warm up with these 3 recipes you can make all winter long

Cooking Thanksgiving dinner can be quite an undertaking. Have questions before you get started? Kathy Gunst can help. Send her a note here, and she may answer you on air. 

Is a stew simply a thick soup? Is soup just a thinner stew? Are the terms synonymous?

A stew is not a soup, and soup is not a stew. In general, a stew is heartier, thicker, and more of a comfort food that sticks to the ribs. And soup — while deeply comforting — can be a first course or a lunch, while a stew is its own main attraction. Don’t get me wrong: I am a major lover of soups of all kinds. I even wrote a book about it.

As the days get shorter and darker and decidedly colder, I decided to experiment with stews and see how they hold up compared to making a pot of soup. The results were deeply satisfying; these three stews are recipes I plan on making again and again throughout the winter season.

Semantics aside, let’s talk about stews. They can be made from meat, fish, poultry and/or vegetables. They can be made with onions and leeks and garlic, lots of herbs and spices, and the base can be a stock or water. What stews have in common is that they fill you up and give that warm, cozy feeling that one begins to crave this time of year.

The first stew borrows flavors from Indian cuisine and is a vegetarian dish. A seemingly simple mixture of onions, garlic, fresh ginger and spices — turmeric, cinnamon, cumin and fennel seeds — is simmered with tomato paste. A combination of late fall vegetables is added — winter squash, potatoes and chick peas — and simmered with water. The entire stew happens in about an hour and the flavor is so deep and satisfying you’ll wonder how it happened. The mixture of Indian-inspired spices mixed with the heartiness of fall vegetables makes magic happen in this stew. Serve with Indian-style bread like naan, basmati rice, chopped scallions and cilantro, and dinner is ready.

Next up is a fish stew made with any combination of local fish you have access to. Being in New England, I used a combination of what’s called “chowder fish,” which is generally chunks of haddock, hake, cod or other local flaky white fish, and a few shrimp. I add the shrimp shells to the sauce to infuse it with even more flavor. Leeks or onions are sauteed with chopped fennel, and sweet pepper and crushed tomatoes are added with a pinch of fresh thyme and earthy saffron. The fish goes in, and the stew simmers up in no time at all. Again, rich, complex flavors that defy the quickness of the preparation. Add warm crusty bread and a green salad, and you’ve got a feast.

And finally, a pork stew with salsa verde, chiles, cinnamon, and oregano that simmers until the pork is fork-tender. Serve with warm tortillas, sour cream or crema, steamed rice, and you will feel the warmth.

The vegetable and pork stews can be made a day ahead of time (the fish stew doesn’t really benefit from being made ahead of time) and the flavors will deepen. It also means that you will arrive home from a busy day and have a comforting, filling dinner ready in no time.

Indian-spiced late fall vegetable stew

This stew is somehow very light, yet simultaneously full of rich flavors and nuance. The whole stew happens in under an hour and would be excellent served with a warm Indian bread like naan, steamed rice and a collection of hot pepper sauces. The stew will keep refrigerated for up to two days. If you don’t have a taste for cilantro, you can simply omit it or substitute parsley.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 fresh green chili (like a jalapeno or serrano), deseeded, cored and chopped, or a generous amount of hot pepper sauce
• 1½ tablespoons chopped fresh ginger
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• About ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• About ½ teaspoon turmeric
• About ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• About ½ teaspoon ground fennel seed
• About ½ teaspoon garam masala*
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste or ½ cup crushed or pureed tomatoes
• ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped, or parsley, optional
• 2 medium potatoes, about 11 ounces, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 pound winter squash, like butternut or acorn, peeled and deseeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
• One 15.5-ounce can chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed in cold water, and drained again

Garnishes:

• 1 cup cooked white basmati rice
• ½ cup sour cream or plain whole-fat yogurt
• ⅓ cup chopped scallions
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Indian bread, like Naan
• Hot pepper sauce

*Garam masala is a spice combination generally containing nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, coriander, peppercorns, cumin seed and green cardamom available in grocery stores and South Asian markets.

Instructions

1. In a medium soup pot, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onions, garlic, chili and half the ginger, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
2. Stir in salt and pepper and the cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, fennel and garam masala and cook for 2 minutes. You should be able to smell the spices at this point.
3. Add the tomato paste or sauce and half the cilantro and stir well to combine. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice.
4. Stir in the potatoes, squash, chickpeas and the remaining ginger and cilantro. Add 2 cups of cold water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir well, cover, and cook for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until the potatoes and squash are knife-tender and the sauce is flavorful; add more salt, pepper or spices if needed.
5. Serve hot, accompanied by any or all of the garnishes.

Fish stew

This is an ode to Cioppino, or a Mediterranean fish stew. Though it cooks for under an hour, it has a remarkable amount of flavor. Serve with a warm baguette or crusty bread.

Serves 3 to 4.

Ingredients

• 1½ tablespoons olive oil
• 3 leeks, light green and white sections cut into 1-inch pieces, dark green sections saved for stock or discarded
• 1 medium onion, quartered
• 2 large or 3 small cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1½ tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped or 1½ teaspoons dried and crumbed
• 1½ tablespoons fennel fronds (the dill-like top of a fennel bulb), finely chopped
• ½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• Generous pinch saffron, optional*
• 1 small fennel bulb, finely chopped
• 1 small orange, red, or green sweet pepper, cored and finely chopped
• 2 cups crushed tomatoes or basic tomato sauce
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 6 medium shrimp, shell on if possible
• 1½ pounds mixed white fish like haddock, cod, or other flaky white fish

*Saffron will add a musky, earthy flavor to the stew that is well worth it. Saffron is expensive, but you only need a pinch, and it will last for up to a year in a cool, dark spot. 

Instructions

1. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the leeks, onion, half the garlic, salt, pepper, half the thyme, half the fennel fronds, and a pinch of saffron. Cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes.
2. Remove the shells from the shrimp and add to the pot. Add the fennel and pepper and cook for another 2 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes and wine and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat, stir, and simmer on low for 15 minutes.
4. In a large skillet, heat ½ tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add the remaining garlic, thyme, fennel and another pinch of saffron. Add the shrimp and white fish and cook for 1 minute per side.
5. Remove from the heat and add the fish and any juices or herbs from the bottom of the skillet to the pot. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the fish is flaky and cooked through, the shrimp are firm and the broth is flavorful.
6. Using tongs or a spoon, remove the shrimp shells and discard. Season to taste.

Pork stew with white beans, chilis and salsa verde

The longer and slower you cook this stew, the more tender and deeply flavorful it will be. Serve with warm flour or corn tortillas, sour cream, thinly sliced radishes, cilantro and lime wedges.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 pounds boneless Boston pork butt or shoulder, cut into 2-inch pieces*
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 onions, quartered
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Mexican or regular oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 serrano or jalapeno pepper, cut lengthwise, seeded and cored and then thinly sliced
• 16 ounces salsa verde, jarred or canned
• One 13-ounce jar white beans, drained, rinsed in cold water and drained again
• 1 to 2 cups chicken stock

Garnishes:

• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• ⅓ cup cilantro leaves
• 1 cup sour cream, creme fraiche, whole milk yogurt, or crema**
• ½ cup thinly sliced radishes
• 4 to 8 flour or corn tortillas, wrapped in a clean towel and warmed up in a 250-degree oven

*Boston pork butt or pork butt comes from the shoulder of the pig. Pork shoulder can be substituted. Pork butt is found higher on the foreleg. It is very flavorful and fatty. 

**Mexican Crema is thinner than sour cream and can be found in Latin American food shops or the Latin section of your local supermarket. 

Instructions

1. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
2. Season the pork pieces liberally with salt and pepper.
3. Brown in the hot oil for about 2 minutes on each side. Remove and place on a plate; set aside.
4. Place the pot over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, onions, salt, pepper, cinnamon, cumin, and oregano to the fat in the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
5. Stir in the chili pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add the beans and salsa verde, the chicken stock, and 1 cup of cold water. Bring to a simmer.
6. Stir in the browned pork pieces and cook, covered, for 45 minutes. Remove the cover, stir the stew, and cook uncovered for another 45 minutes.
7. Taste for seasoning. If the pork is not tender, cook another 15 to 20 minutes, covered, adding more chicken stock or water if needed. Cook until the meat is tender and the sauce is flavorful.
8. Serve the stew accompanied by the tortillas, sour cream or crema, radishes, cilantro and lime wedges.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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