Stylish and tasty stew

Ligurian Seafood Stew

After blanching peas, snap peas and fingerling potatoes, chef Andrew Carmellini adds them to a homemade mussel broth along with sea bass, clams, an herb pesto and little seafood meatballs made with shrimp, chorizo and scallops. In the easy way, narrow the ingredient list to the delicious basics—shrimp, sea bass and clams. Use bottled clam broth as a stand-in for mussel broth and flavor it with spicy chorizo

Spicy Stewed Sausages with Three Peppers

“This is my take on the Little Italy classic,” says Mario Batali of the sausage and peppers that’s a mainstay of the iconic Manhattan neighborhood and its annual street festival. Stewing the bell peppers in red wine gives them richness; so does a generous garnish of grated pecorino cheese. The stewed sausages and peppers are also delicious tossed with pasta.

Giant Lima Beans with Stewed Tomatoes and Oregano Pesto

Tangy feta cheese, a bright herbal pesto and a crisp bread crumb topping all elevate this tomato-bean stew. It’s sensational made with meaty Rancho Gordo giant limas from Peru, silky gigantes or large limas from the grocery store.

Umbrian Lentil Stew with Olive-Oil-Fried Eggs

In Panicale, the small Umbrian town where Nancy Silverton’s house is located, Matt Molina bought Umbrian lentils—a small, brownish-green variety grown in Castelluccio. “They have a rich, buttery flavor that’s so comforting,” he says. Molina simmered them slowly until they were exquisitely creamy.

Yucatán Pork Stew with Ancho Chiles and Lime Juice

Tia Harrison breaks down a pig each week at Avedano’s and finds making stew a versatile way to use cuts like pork shoulder, shanks and belly. Here she cooks the stew with pleasantly bitter ancho chiles.

Mahimahi Coconut Curry Stew with Carrots and Fennel

Padma Lakshmi always makes extra portions of this excellent coconut-curried mahimahi so she can reheat it the next day and eat it over noodles, like an Asian laksa

Iraqi Lamb and Eggplant Stew with Pitas

This sweet and tangy Middle Eastern stew features falling-apart-tender lamb.

Fish Stew with Peppers, Almonds and Saffron

For an easier version of this recipe, make the stew in a lidded casserole, replacing the fish stock with water. It will still taste delicious

Thai Chicken Stew with Potato-Chive Dumplings

Chef Pino Maffeo serves his vibrant, spicy, warming stew with gai lan (Chinese broccoli). Sautéed garlic chives stud his plump potato dumplings. For an easier version, baby bok choy, an easy-to-find Chinese green, replaces the gai lan, while regular chives substitute for the garlic chives.

Pork and Tomatillo Stew

This spicy Mexican-style stew is loaded with vegetables, including carrots, an excellent source of vitamins A and K. Andrew Murray makes it for his employees around harvest time. “It’s our comfort food at the winery,” he says. “And it’s a nice excuse to stop for a few minutes and eat together, even when we’re busy.”

Short Rib Stew

When Ethan Stowell was growing up, his father was the family cook; beef stew was one of his specialties. Unlike his dad, who favored rump roast, Stowell uses short ribs, a marbled cut that turns fabulously succulent and tender when slow-simmered

Beef Stew in Red Wine Sauce

For this beef stew, Jacques Pépin uses a special piece of the shoulder called the flatiron steak. This long, narrow piece is extremely lean, tender and moist, and it makes an ideal stew. He does not use stock, demiglace or even water. He makes his stew strictly with a robust red wine. This rich, winey beef stew is always a hit with his chef friends.

San Francisco Seafood Stew

Bobby Flay’s version uses generous portions of fresh shrimp, littleneck clams and snapper, quickly cooked in a tasty tomato broth spiked with wine.

Beer-Braised Chicken Stew with Fava Beans and Peas

Paul Kahan is a big fan of chicken thighs because they have so much flavor and are so inexpensive—the best of both worlds. He braises the thighs in beer to make an excellent stew that he (naturally) pairs with more beer