Stewing

Stewing (from the English stew) is a technique of slowly cooking products cut into small pieces, fully or almost fully immersed in liquid, over low heat for a long time. The result is a hearty, thick dish — a stew — in which both the products and the rich gravy are served together.

Stewing is very closely related to braising, but has a characteristic difference: here there is considerably more liquid, and it is an inseparable part of the finished dish, serving as a thick, aromatic sauce. Finely cut meat, vegetables, and pulses are slowly and gently cooked in stock, wine, or sauce at a temperature just below boiling. Over the long time of such simmering the tough fibres of the meat soften, becoming tender, the starch from the vegetables passes into the liquid, thickening it, and the flavours of all the ingredients mutually penetrate, merging into a deep, harmonious, warming bouquet. Classic examples of stews are Hungarian goulash, French ragoût, Irish stew, and countless vegetable and bean stews. This technique is ideal for cheaper, tougher cuts of meat, which it is precisely the long cooking that makes unsurpassedly tasty. Stewing is the embodiment of cosy, hearty, unhurried home cooking.