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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.
Mine as well. I really do not see much similarities in the two dishes.
I use an old teaspoon and a cigarette lighter to toast a half teaspoon at a time, much easier to control the heat than in a skillet.
I parch them at a high heat in a lightly-oiled aluminum pan for a few seconds to a minute, let them cool, and then grind them up in the coffee grinder.
That said, I'm surprised no one's mentioned allspice.
Browning the meat is important, the Malliard Reaction is contributes greatly to flavor. Make sure there is sufficient fat, opting for lean cuts of meat or hamburger is healthier but it detracts from flavor.
Instead of using water, use beef stock. However if you're using canned or powdered stock rather than making your own be aware that there is a lot of salt in it when seasoning later. Although in general you may need to use more salt in your cooking, restaurant cooking uses between 3-5 times as much as a home cook would.
Vegetables are also important for flavor, the standard mix for mirepoix is 1 part carrots, 1 part celery and 2 parts onions.
Browning is essential.
I like to make stew with roasted beef bones. The marrow adds a lot of flavor.
I use chopped fresh thyme, parsley, a dash of balsamic vinegar, garlic, of course. Red wine is great too.
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?
Cumin warms everything up. I like a little Sherry wine. for a stew.
For chicken or beef based stews I like Marjoram or basil for added flavor when I want a flavor different from the usual bay leaf and thyme. I also make sure to have some sort of tomato product in it.
For Chili I like Chili powder and cumin and a bit of Franks Red Hot.
Bean soups are also really good with some garam masala and curry powder.
Paprika that baby up and steer it towards goulash town!
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