There are many methods to distinguish a soup from a stew—the ratio of liquid to substances, for instance, or the dimensions to which stated substances are reduce. However let’s put technical elements apart for a second, and take a barely much less tangible strategy: For starters, soup invitations you to slip into a light-weight cardigan and discover consolation on the eating room desk, whereas stew prefers you slip into your most obnoxiously thick knitwear—a turtleneck so chunky you’ll be able to barely see excessive, for instance—and settle in subsequent to a roaring fireplace. If soup suggests you get on together with your day, stew needs you to lick your bowl clear of its long-simmered sauce, then (please) take that nap you’ve got been dreaming about for weeks.
That’s to say: Whether or not meaty or vegan, complicated or as humble as might be, stews supply a form of excessive consolation that few different dishes can. Listed below are 15 of our favorites, every price digging out your beefiest turtleneck for.
This text’s introduction was written by Lindsay Anderson, whereas the descriptions of every recipe had been written by workers members and contributors for Severe Eats.