Soup of the Week – Snow Day Stew Edition

I know. It’s not soup, it’s stew.

And it’s not the soup I made today, either. (Yes, that one’s coming, too. Promise.) I actually made this stew on our first snow day of 2014. It just seemed like the right thing to do. The signs were all there.

First, I read this post by Phyllis over at Dash and Bella. This is an absolutely charming site – and I really mean charming. I love this blog because Phyllis writes about kids and food precisely the way I think about kids and food – don’t bother with “kid” food and involve them in the entire process. If you visit her blog – whether you have kids to feed or not – I promise you’ll find something lovely. I’ve found many things there.

Like this stew.

See those little pomegranate arils? Yeah, who knew those went on top of stew? And those carrots? Not only are roasted carrots one of my absolute favorite things, but these babies are roasted on top of the simmering stew with pomegranate molasses rubbed all over them. And sea salt. I know, right?

So I found the post about this stew right after Christmas. I really am not a big fan of stew. It never seems to taste the way I want it to taste, no matter who makes it or how terrific the ingredients are. I want to love stew. My Mom loves stew and it is a harbinger of fall in her world. We all make such fun of her when the weather turns the first bit of chilly in the fall and she does her Welcome Fall routine which entails throwing open the windows to the crisp autumn air and making stew. When Mom makes stew, fall has arrived, no matter what the calendar says.

Anyway, as I was reading the stew post, I realized that I had pretty much everything on the ingredient list in my kitchen already save one special item – pomegranate molasses. But I didn’t have to read that twice to be intrigued. Pomegranate molasses? And stew? I had to have that stuff and I just had to make this stew. Our next trip to the store yielded pomegranate molasses without a shred of difficulty. Who knew such a thing was so easy to find? Clearly, this stew needed me to try it.

Not only did I have all the ingredients ready to go, but I had a brand new Dutch oven to take for a spin and this would be the perfect maiden voyage! Some women get upset if their husband gives them something for the kitchen. I get nine kinds of excited because the Fab Hub knows that is precisely the best gift for me. Of all the great things I have to use in the kitchen, I was missing a Dutch oven. But now…ingredients, pomegranate molasses, and a snappy red Dutch oven were calling. And it was snowing.

I followed Phyllis’ recipe nearly to the letter. And I have to say here that I just love the way Phyllis explains her recipes – like she’s hanging out in the kitchen with you as you cook. But you know me – I always change something up, whether intentionally or because I just didn’t quite pay attention to something. I didn’t want to mess around with this – I wanted it to be as great as it sounded. But then I caught Phyllis’ comment to another reader who commented on her experience with this recipe – “stew really is so forgiving” – and I decided to just go for it.

This is the recipe – Beef Stew with Pomegranate-Roasted Carrots from Phyllis at Dash and Bella. I’ve linked you to her post and recipe because A) you have to go read for yourself how completely charming Phyllis’ blog is and B) she has a very cool printable recipe thing on her blog.

This smelled amazing from the first sizzle of searing meat. The Fab Hub said he’d eat whatever was in the pot as-is.

I swapped the balsamic vinegar out for some pomegranate balsamic because I happened to have some (great on salads) and why not? Intensify the pomegranate effect? Yes, please.

I swapped the 28 ounce can of whole tomatoes for a can of tomato puree. Why? Because I hate chunks of hot tomato in anything. So does the Fab Hub. If we were going to end up making them into puree anyway, why not just start there?

I most definitely used more tomato paste than the recipe called for. I hate when you need one or two tablespoons of paste for something and then you have the rest of the container leftover. Even the tiny little cans are more than the amount many recipes ask for. So I planned ahead. I knew I had extra tomato puree on hand. And there would be wine left after the stew recipe (in theory) so I really was going to keep the paste, add it to those other things, and make a small batch of tomato sauce. But I tossed too much puree in the stew and there wasn’t quite as much red wine left as I had anticipated. So in went like three times as much paste. Oh, well, the stew would be all the richer for it.

Just as an FYI, the red wine we had on hand was a Shiraz and the flavor was a great match for this recipe. It was just this side of too old for drinking, but perfect for a recipe. It has some pretty full-bodied notes of cherry and strawberry and worked splendidly.

All three of us loved this stew. We served it over egg noodles because we had a bag that never got used for Hanukkah kugel, thanks to my extended stomach bug. Phyllis mentioned serving over polenta as an option and I think that would be just divine. We did not have crème fraiche on hand but substituted a quick mix of plain non-fat Greek yogurt and sour cream for that. And we definitely did top it with loads of pomegranate arils.

Kidzilla said it was the best dinner she ever had and dubbed it “singing stew.” When Zilla particularly likes her food, it makes her sing. Literally. As great as this was on the first night, it was even better the second night…and the third! Yes, we ate this three nights in a row. It’s that good. I promised my Mom some, but her container never did make it across town…

I am now a stew convert. No more trying it time after time and hoping it will taste the way I’m hoping. This stew tastes exactly the way I have always imagined stew should taste. Savory and sweet all wrapped up together, not too spicy…just delightful. And those little pomegranate arils mixed in? Like a party in your mouth.

And I fully intend to make sure I have the makings of this one on hand on a regular basis because this recipe earns a spot in our regular rotation.

Do you have a favorite stew recipe? Or do you have a dish for which you’ve found the perfect recipe?