Flowering meat is absolutely NOT required in stews. I made what amounts to a chicken stew the other night and I didn't thicken it till the end. In fact, a stew doesn't necessarily need to be thick at all*. The recipe I was using, from Julia Child's "The Way To Cook" (pages 144 & 147), calls for making a chicken simmered in white wine and then making a "blanquette" by separating the meat and vegetables from the stew, making a roux, adding the fluid from the stew and finally adding some cream for texture and to thin it to taste. I have used this method with beef and to make goulash as well. For every cup of fluid you have put aside from the stew (defatted and strained) mix 2 Tablespoons of Butter and 2¼ Tablespoons of flour over low-medium heat in a saucepan and whisk them at least a few minutes to get rid of the flour taste. Then whisk in the fluid from your stew. Once that is done, taste for adjustments to your salt, pepper, etc. and finally add some heavy cream until you get that perfect consistency. Believe me, it will be an exquisite feeling in the mouth. Pour it over the solid part of the stew and serve. There are a few advantages to this method: The flavors intermingle more and quicker because convection moves a thinner liquid around more quickly and there is less chance of burning the stew on the bottom of the pot. It does take a few minutes longer but I think it is well worth it.

*(I know, isn't it soup then? Not if it has a lot of stuff in it that won't fit in a spoon...)

Flouring meat is absolutely NOT required in stews. I made what amounts to a chicken stew the other night and I didn't thicken it till the end. In fact, a stew doesn't necessarily need to be thick at all*. The recipe I was using, from Julia Child's "The Way To Cook" (pages 144 & 147), calls for making a chicken simmered in white wine and then making a "blanquette" by separating the meat and vegetables from the stew, making a roux, adding the fluid from the stew and finally adding some cream for texture and to thin it to taste. I have used this method with beef and to make goulash as well. For every cup of fluid you have put aside from the stew (defatted and strained) mix 2 Tablespoons of Butter and 2¼ Tablespoons of flour over low-medium heat in a saucepan and whisk them at least a few minutes to get rid of the flour taste. Then whisk in the fluid from your stew. Once that is done, taste for adjustments to your salt, pepper, etc. and finally add some heavy cream until you get that perfect consistency. Believe me, it will be an exquisite feeling in the mouth. Pour it over the solid part of the stew and serve.

There are a few advantages to this method: The flavors intermingle more and quicker because convection moves a thinner liquid around more quickly and there is less chance of burning the stew on the bottom of the pot. It does take a few minutes longer but I think it is well worth it.

*(I know, isn't it soup then? Not if it has a lot of stuff in it that won't fit in a spoon...)