Soups and Stews
Nothing warms the soul like a hot bowl of soup or a comforting stew, slow-simmered on the stove. Soups and stews can be among the simplest of creations, but their often complex flavor can belie the ease of their creation. Every pot is endlessly customizable — substitute an ingredient here...subtract one there...add a new one this time — so each pot takes on its maker's personality.
Most soups and stews benefit from a slow simmer and gain in flavor if made a day ahead, which makes this cooking method a favorite of the Slow Food movement.
Soup and Stew Recipes
Ash-e Jow
This thick soup, or ash, is chock full of nutrients and fiber. A mix of beans, lentils, barley and vegetables, ash-e jow is slow simmered to make a rich, nourishing, rib-sticking dish. Eliminate the meat and use vegetable stock or water for a great vegetarian meal. Read more »
Asopao de Gandules
Asopao is a Puerto Rican word for a stew thickened with rice, and asopaos of many kinds are very popular in Puerto Rican cuisine. Asopao de gandules is a nice vegetarian version. Read more »
Beef and Okra
This recipe makes a simple meat and vegetable stew with tons of flavor. It's a typically Caribbean concoction using that favorite vegetable import from Africa -- okra. Try using goat instead of beef if you can find it. Read more »
Bográcsgulyás
Bográcsgulyás (boh-GRACH goo-YAHSH), or goulash, is one of the classics of Hungarian cuisine. Variations of this basic dish are popular throughout Central Europe. Bogrács is Hungarian for "kettle", and gulyás was originally the word for "cowboy." Today goulash refers to both the herdsmen and the stew they first cooked in their kettles. Read more »
Borshch
Borshch (борщ) is one of the classic soups of the Russian household. Ukrainians, however, swear that it was invented by them. Regardless, there are countless variations throughout the Slavic region of Europe, both with meat and without. Most, but not all, have a base of beets. Also spelled borsh, borsch, borsht (with the t silent). Called barszcz by the Polish. Read more »
Bouillabaisse
Bouillabaisse is one of the great dishes of French Provençal cuisine. The recipe looks intimidating, doesn't it? Well it shouldn't. Making it is actually fairly simple. The key is using top-notch ingredients. Ideally bouillabaisse is made with rascasse, an ugly fish found only in the Mediterranean. But feel free to make it with any combination of fish and seafood available to you. Try to use as many different types as possible, as it improves the flavor. Read more »
Bredie
Bredies are simple, traditional South African mutton stews in the Cape Malay tradition. The most popular are green bean bredie, tomato bredie and cabbage bredie. A basic bredie recipe is listed here, with the more common variations below. (Tip: A bredie will always taste better served the day after it is made.) Read more »
Caldereta
Caldereta is a comforting beef stew popular in the Philippines. Every family has its own version. Experiment with the ingredients and try different vegetables. Read more »
Caldo Verde
This nourishing and nutritious soup is one of the signature dishes of Portuguese cuisine. Tinted a subtle green by finely shredded kale or collard greens, and thickened with potatoes, caldo verde is often served with spicy chouriço sausage and a slice of the thick cornmeal bread called broa. Popular as a light meal, caldo verde orginated in northern Portugal, but it is now enjoyed all around the country. Read more »
Chicken Stock
Chicken stock, or chicken broth, is a basic of the kitchen in many cuisines. Homemade is always best, but stock from scratch can be reasonably substituted with low-sodium canned broth. Avoid bouillon cubes or granules if at all possible. They are very high in sodium and have only a whisper of the flavor of homemade. The recipe here is for a basic European-style chicken stock. See the variations for different versions from around the world. Read more »
Chili con Carne
It's a little unclear where chili originated. The combination of powdered chiles and meat is likely an ancient one, familiar to the Aztecs and the Maya. But in its current form, chili seems to have started somewhere along the U.S.-Mexico border. Mexicans generally shun it as American. Most Americans are fine with that and regard it as their own. Read more »
Cioppino
This tomatoey fish stew is perhaps the iconic San Francisco dish. Italian fishmongers in North Beach developed a flavorful broth studded with the best of the day's catch. The name most likely comes from the Italian dialect word ciuppin, for "to chop." But at Fisherman's Wharf, a favorite story you hear is that Italian cooks would ask fishermen to "chip in" to that day's pot. Read more »
Curry Goat
Goat is a favorite meat in much of the Caribbean, and in Jamaica, curry goat is the favorite way to cook it. Full of flavor, this aromatic stew was originally a must-have dish at large gatherings, parties, dances and other celebrations. These days, Jamaicans cook it at home more and more often. Substitute lamb meat if you can't find goat. Read more »
Dashi
Dashi is the basic stock used in Japan for a wide variety of soups, stews and other dishes. Flavored with a combination of dried fish flakes and and seaweed, it has the simple, clean flavor of the ocean. Read more »
Daube de Boeuf Provençale
Popular in southern France, daubes (pronounced "dōb") are slow-simmered stews traditionally cooked in a special pot called a daubière. Beef or lamb are marinated in wine and herbs for a day or two, then simmered in a slow oven until meltingly tender. As with much French food, everyone agrees that a daube should be made just so, yet each region has its own variation. The version here is popular in Provence. Read more »
Fabada Asturiana
Fabada, or fabada asturiana, is a rich, warming stew of beans and sausages that originated in the Asturia region on the northwest coast of Spain. Asturians enjoy it as a hearty midday meal. The essential ingredients are fabas, a type of large white bean, and two types of sausage — Spanish chorizo and morcillo, a blood sausage. Fabada is traditionally served with cornbread and sidra, a local hard apple cider. Read more »
Gazpacho
Gazpacho, the famous soup from the Andalusia region of southern Spain, is an amazingly refreshing foil to a hot summer day. This drinkable salad has been around since Roman times and originally consisted of just a mixture of bread, garlic, oil and water seasoned with vinegar or verjus. It was a poor man's food. The discovery of the New World brought the addition of tomatoes and peppers. Read more »
Gumbo
Gumbo, one of the most famous of Cajun-Creole dishes, acquired its name from quingombo, a Congolese word for okra. It came about through a fusion of French, African, Native American and Spanish influences in early Louisiana cuisine. There are two main types of gumbo--those thickened with okra and those thickened with filé powder. This one uses okra. Read more »
Gundi
Gundi, a wholesome and comforting dish of dumplings made of ground chicken and chickpea flour, originated with the Jewish population of Iran. The recent emigration of Iranian Jews people to Israel has made gundi (sometimes called gondi) more and more familiar to Israelis. Read more »
Harira
Harira is a soup from the Maghreb region of North Africa that is especially popular as an iftar meal to break the daily fast during Ramadan. There are innumerable variations of this hearty, healthy soup, but most recipes are for chunks of lamb slow simmered with tomatoes, chickpeas, spices and herbs. Read more »
Hkatenkwan
The marriage of tomatoes and ground peanuts in stews is popular in sub-Saharan African cooking. Hkatenkwan, or nkatenkwan, is a tasty version of the dish enjoyed in Ghana. Chicken, sometimes smoked fish, and vegetables simmer in a tomatoey broth. Towards the end of cooking, the broth is thickened with peanut butter. This rich, filling stew is traditionally served with hard-boiled eggs and various condiments to sprinkle over the top. Peanuts are known as groundnuts in Africa. Read more »
Irish Stew
Even though this dish — known as ballymaloe, or stobhach gaelach in the Irish language — started out as a meal for hard times, its delicious flavor belies its humble origins. In the old days, this hearty stew was made with simple mutton neck bones and meat scraps for flavor. Sometimes actual mutton or young goat meat was used. In the last few decades it has become much more common to use milder flavored lamb. Read more »
Knaidlach
This recipe will give you knaidlach (KNAYD-lach) just like Bubbe used to make. In this most famous of Passover dishes, matzo meal is mixed with eggs and a little water and oil and gently formed into balls that are simmered then served in chicken broth. Also spelled knaidels or knaidelach. Read more »
Locro
Locro is a nourishing potato-cheese soup that is popular in Ecuador and Peru. A soup with the same name is found in Argentina, but Argentine locro is a vegetable and meat stew. Read more »
Meggyleves
Sour cherry soup is enjoyed by Hungarian families as cherries come into season in late spring and early summer. Each family has its own favorite recipe. Also known as meggykeszőce. Read more »
