WHY I LIKE STEW

There are few dishes that appeal to me more than a savory stew. I think of stew as a cornucopia of healthy foods. In fact stew is my “multivitamin pill tutti multivitamin pill.” Okay! It’s not REALLY a pill. True enough. I grant this. It’s better than a pill, a capsule, or a tablet. It’s better than droplets of liquid vitamins, or minerals, or both. It tastes GOOD!

Now, let me hasten to say that I am referencing fresh stew. There are basically five kinds of stew: vegetable, beef, chicken, fish, and lastly, abominations. For reasons of health, I, personally, avoid the “abominations” variety of stew. Others may have some singular but personally important reason to avoid one of these five choices. There is no reason why a person may not exhibit a bias or discrimination in these matters.

For myself the idea of mussels, clams, oysters, sea worms, octopus, squid, and other “vermin of the sea” is out. No way, Jose! Still, there are many people who savor such “foods,” and they are free to indulge.

For others the thought of eating animal flesh is disgusting. For such there is the pleasure of eating vegetarian stew. With the latter there are a vast array of possible combinations. For some stew dishes the introduction of some fruit may be a succulent variation. One can also add a variety of nuts and legumes [peanuts are actually legumes], depending on one’s requirements for that meal, based on mood and taste.

One of the magical things about stew is that it is hard to have an absolute favorite. With stew, mood and nuance play an important role. Are you really ready for chicken stew? Perhaps a nice fish stew would better fit the moment. One of the wonderful things about stew is that you can even savor the pre-preparation, as you muse “just which stew would be best tonight?” to yourself. The mind is so important to the enjoyment of a pleasure TO ITS FULLEST. Therefore, let your mood have free rein so that your mind chooses well.

Now, I am confident that most people perceive that, when I speak of “chicken,” I do so both in a specific sense and in the general sense of “fowl.” Turkey, cornish hen, partridge, quail, etc., are all welcomed additions to the stew “du jour.” Again, personal taste and mood are so important.

This same principle applies to fish. Above all others, however, fish stew should be made with fresh fish. If you don’t have access to fresh fish, this is a stew that should be placed on the “backburner”–so to speak. Also, I do play a little “loose” here with my definitions, as I include sea dwellers that are actually mammals, not fish. Just remember this, folks: red snapper is a fish and in a stew is tasty! It’s not alone in this category.

Personally, I love lamb stew. However, last night, December 7, I prepared a beef stew. How? Funny you should ask!

I took cubes of sirloin, placing them in a large, microwavable dish. These were sprinkled liberally with chili powder, black pepper, and an Italian herbal mix. Next, diced garlic and onion were added. Then I added sliced yellow potato. This was followed by sliced redskin potato. These were sent through a 4 minute microwave cycle. The ingredients were stirred and tossed and Cauliflower pieces added. Then, they all go through another 4 minute cycle. Out they come, the lid popped, and once again stirred and tossed. Now, baby carrots and about a tablespoon of sweet butter were added. Again, the ingredients went into the microwave for, this time, three minutes. When this cycle was completed, the container was removed once again from the microwave, the ingredients stirred and tossed, and the final element added. I introduced several pieces of broccoli. Let me say, parenthetically, that it smelled great! After this last addition, then began the final “burn” of 3 minutes.

For those who like a “soupier” stew, the addition of some water, milk, or other suitable (according to taste) liquid can be introduced.

When I introduced the stew to a plate, I did a partial segregation. The reasons for this were two-fold: I had squeezed onto one side of the platter about half a lemon, which I intended for the broccoli. I also placed the cauliflower into a pile, or group, so that I could intoduce a sprinkling of sharp cheddar cheese for this food only. Due to my lack of absolutist principles in these matters, there was a touch of lemon and cheese, missing their respective marks and enhancing some of the neighboring foods.

It was a very pleasing meal. Try it! Or make your very own, delectable stew. Your health will improve, I’ll wager. Confidentially, who needs a doctor when you can have stew? Dig? Then “dig in!”

All rights reserved. Gobigfoot, 2007.