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While it's not technically a spice, I've been incorporating New Mexico Hatch Chiles into my soups & stews. EVERY TIME (not just once or twice) they've added a latent heat & smokiness I can't replicate with anything else. When they interact with other ingredients & spices, everything just seems to get better. It's amazing.
On their own, they're just a chile that looks similar to an Anaheim Chile. They don't have the same heat as a Jalapeno, rather I'd describe it simply as different (although you can get hotter varieties if you like.) Something wonderful happens when they interact with the right stuff. The downside is generally they're available only in the southwest, although my guess is if you look hard enough you'll find them in a lot of regions.
A few months ago I used them in place of green bell pepper while making a Cuban Black Bean soup that was pretty good the first time. With the Hatch Chiles, it became the BEST SOUP I've ever made. Friends tried it, all raved up down & all around about how fantastic it was. Here's a link to the recipe:
The two alterations I made were:
(1) Swapped Hatch Chiles for green bell pepper
(2) Substituted lime juice for 1/2 of the vinegar (a friend who used to live in Miami said this was common with Cuban soups/stews, it certainly helped)
Best of all, it's cheap to make if you have an old ham bone - you did save it & put it in the freezer last time you made a ham, didn't you?
Hope this helps someone out there ... I bought a bunch when a local supermarket chain was roasting them for free if you bought enough ... froze most of them & take out a little at a time when I need them. A few years ago I didn't know they existed; fast forward to today & they've become my favorite thing to incorporate into a lot of foods.
I always add a little balsamic vinegar to my stew. It gives it a brightness and a depth of flavor I can't duplicate with anything else.
I, too use balsamic as a "secret" ingredient. I know the OP said one spice but in stew I always add ras el hanout spice blend. It adds that little extra oompf I like.
My stews are generally flavored differently than chili.
Like the song- parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme are pretty much standard for me (and in gravies as well), plus some freshly ground pepper...and I've been using savory quite a bit lately. Paprika sometimes, for a change, or a bit of clove, sometimes a bit of oregano with or without a bit of mint. I have some pre-packaged blends that I use sometimes, but sparingly as they tend to be overly salty. A couple of onions and bell peppers are good too.
Depending on how much drippings there are from browning the meat, I may use some "Better Than Boullion" Beef Base (for beef/venison/moose/elk stews), the pan gets de-glazed with a nice stout ale (sometimes Guinness, sometimes something else a little sweeter), or a good Burgundy or Merlot. I don't use overly lean meat, and I never remove the fat for either stews or gravies.
Chilis get Texas/Mexican spices, starting from my baked beans recipe that uses generous amounts of molasses, bown sugar and mustard and adding diced stewed tomatoes, jalapenos or whatever kind of chili peppers I keep growing in pots in the kitchen.
About stew...but not spice, hope it's still ok..
I learned, from a Jewish NY mom, to take about 4c of the stew and blend it ...
place it back in the pot...I usually take the meat chunks out first.
Adds a lot of thickening without flour or anything else.
Not a spice, but parsnips add a 'something different' taste.
Fresh, high quality paprika. Can't do a stew without it.
I do the same, but in addition I now add some smoked paprika.
You shouldn't use more than...let's say...1 tsp. of smoked paprika, lest it become overwhelming, but the judicious use of this staple of Spanish cooking really adds some very nice depth to the flavor of meats.
My choices of spices would be different for a stew than a chili. Stew would probably just raid the spice rack and add onion powder and garlic powder, possibly some clove if it is just me eating it as my wife hates clove. If I'm making a chili, I have a nice collection of hot sauces to add a kick, and chili powder is a given, probably some crushed red pepper. Actually have a really good recipe I use for chili (beanless,) if you're interested let me know ill pass it along to you.
Depends on what recipe. Beef stew gets black pepper and bay leaf, maybe a whiff of sage. Chili powder makes more sense with a beany chili type of stew. If you've already got chili powder in it and it still comes across bland, I would add more garlic, some cacao nibs, or simply more chili powder.
Lets say that you have a stew or chilli or something like that that tastes a little bland. What one spice would you use to spruce up the taste a little?
chili: more chili powder, mayb cumin, of course lots of garlic and don't forget the hot spice or sause.
For stew, I use tarragon, maybe rosemary and bay leaf plus of course, like most things like stew, the garlic and I are good friends. Don't forget the a little wine and a touch of tartness, either a little vinegar or a little lemon juice.
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Just hope nobody looks in your window while you are cooking up some cumin, or you'll have some explaining to do...
