Photographs by John Burgess Santa Rosa Press Democrat
I have to confess that I love best the foods of cold weather, especially soups and stews. No doubt a holdover from growing up in the mountains of Colorado. So, an obvious question: What’s the difference between the two? Go online and there’s not much to distinguish the two: Soups generally have more broth/liquid while stews, according to Alan Davidson in the Oxford Companion to Food, is thicker, more opaque and is also a verb, which means to simmer in a closed dish. Not much help there. The term “soups/stews” are often used interchangeably and it’s a vast universe.
So here are some of my favorites for these frosty days from several cuisines. Call them whatever you like!
“SOUP DU JOUR” (SOUP OF THE DAY)
BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP
CALDO TLALPEÑO
(Chicken and Garbanzo stew/soup)
SOUTHEAST ASIAN INSPIRED OYSTER STEW
KOREAN KIMCHI SOFT TOFU STEW
“PEPOSO” ITALIAN SLOW COOKED BEEF STEW
HABA BEAN SOUP OR STEW
POBLANO, TOMATILLO AND SHRIMP CHOWDER WITH POSOLE