Sorry it's been so long since I given an update, but stuff happens. I have not been idle in my absence, however. Since the last report, I've made VD Stew Mk II. With apologies to all those who contributed incredibly interesting stuff on authenticity, particularly with reference to the original simplicity of Brunswick Stew and its ingredient list, I have to admit that we've gone in a different direction. I remind you of the original charge: to make a "fucking awesome stew." In other words, and I've confirmed this with my supervisor, authenticity takes a back seat to awesomeness. Besides, while the stew shouldn't compete with the star attraction (a whole slow-roasted pig), it nevertheless needs to have some character of its own, or risk being labeled forgettable. Unfortunately, the original Brunswick Stew really is kind of bland. A friend even went so far as to say, "have you considered the possibility that it's just not that good?" Well, no. Neither my ego nor my mission permits such thinking. But it's true that a simple stew of mild meats and sweet veggies is going to have a tough time keeping up. So I explored some avenues toward giving it some life and body, most of them based on suggestions made here. As for adding game to the pot, it's simply not practical. Given the scrawniness of your common grey squirrel, I figure we'd need about 20 of them. I ain't gonna peel 'em all, and there's no truth to the rumor that CafePress offered to buy the skins for a special Pig Pickin' fur-lined thong. To make a long story short, the recipe for VD Stew Mk II I switched the chicken to a stewing hen and added a duck. I used all their innards (plus a good handful of chicken livers to boot), and I bumped up the seasoning overall, plus a few other small tricks I picked up from Guajolote's version and some other posts on this thread. I also added a healthy shot of Worcestershire sauce. The result: the best damn chicken (well, chicken/rabbit/duck) and vegetable soup I've ever had. It was really, really good with some soft-flour biscuits and a glass of chardonnay. But in my heart, I knew it wasn't good enough for VD Stew. It wasn't awesome, let alone fucking awesome.The fact of the matter was, it was just too damn nice. No edge. No verve, no vim and vigor (whatever vim is, Mk II didn't have it). It was more suited to a rainy afternoon than a crisp fall evening drenched in the redolence of smoking pig. The problem rolled around in the back of my head for two weeks: how to make VD Stew a barbecue dish, without making it out of barbecue. Through a roundabout way that would be interesting only to me and selected abnormal psych deprtments, I was reminded of the classic New Orleans dish of barbecued shrimp. What's interesting about this dish is that, despite its name, it never comes within spitting distance (not that shrimp can spit all that far anyway) of a grill. And yet, something about it says "barbecue," even though you can't point to a single component and identify it as singularly cue-ish. I've got a pretty decent collection of Cajun and Creole cookbooks, and I paged through them, hoping to pick up a clue: some method or ingredient that would transfer from shrimps to birds and bunnies, and imbue them with the essence of 'cue -- without making them seem like a pale echo of pig. I found what I needed in Emeril's New New Orleans Cooking: a reduction of shrimp stock, Worcestershire, lemon and white wine, along with several herbs and spices. I've had this dish, both at Emeril's and at home, and I swear to its awesomeness -- just the sort of balls that VD Stew needs, and the ingredient list is happily authentic (at one point, I considered adding dried porcini to the stock, but Varmint whacked my pee-pee for exceeding my authority and offending Southern sensibilities). For the next, and probably final trial run of VD Stew, I'm going to steal Emeril's idea, substituting a stock made from hen and duck scraps. I'll also alter the herbs and spices to reflect the change in ingredients, and modify the technique slightly (mainly the timing Emeril outlines; shrimp shells only need about 20 minutes to give up their best, but poultry backs and necks take a good bit longer. Also, I'll roast the birdy bits for more depth and a slight smokiness). Then the problem becomes one of proportion: how much of this should be added? The recipe is no help, because in it, the reduction is tempered with cream and served straight up. My solution is to make a quantity of reduction, use only half of it and hold the rest in reserve -- adding it at the end if necessary. Finally, I needed a handle -- a name I could give it for reference purposes, instead of calling it "that lemon-garlic-Worcestershire stuff we got from Emeril." The following is what I'm making tonight. If it's not pretty damn close to awesome, I'll be showing up at Varmint's with a case each of Campbell's vegetable soup and KC Masterpiece. VD Stew, Mk III 1 5- to 7-pound stewing hen, cut up, including giblets, back, neck and wing tips reserved 1 3-pound rabbit, cut up, including giblets 1 5-pound duck, steamed, cut up, including giblets, back, neck and wing tips reserved; skin julienned and rendered to yield at least two ounces of fat 2 ounces smoked bacon, chopped in 1/4-inch pieces 2 ounces rendered duck fat 3 medium onions, frenched, divided 1 cup celery, sliced on the bias 2 cups fresh corn kernels, cobs reserved 2 cups butter beans 1-1/2 pounds russet potatoes, cut 1/2" x 1/2" x 1" 3-1/2 pounds tomatoes, cored, diced, and chopped, juice reserved; or 2 28-ounce cans chopped tomatoes, undrained 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced 1 recipe LSD (recipe follows) 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce 2 tsp. fresh thyme 3 each fresh bay leaves 1/2 tsp. cayenne salt and ground black pepper 1. Simmer the hen parts, half of the onion, one-teaspoon salt and one bay leaf, in water to cover, for 45 minutes. Add the rabbit and duck pieces and all the giblets. Return to simmer for another hour. 2. Drain pot, reserving meat and stock separately, and discarding everything else. 3. Cool stock and skim fat. Add the corncobs to the liquid and reduce to two quarts. Set aside. 3. In a large Dutch oven, render bacon in duck fat over medium heat until crispy. Bloom cayenne in the fat, then saute celery, garlic, jalapeno and remaining onion until tender, about five minutes. 4. Add reserved stock, tomatoes (with their juice), the Worcestershire sauce, one-half of the LSD, thyme and remaining bay leaves. Simmer 20 minutes. 5. Add lima beans and potatoes, simmer another twenty minutes. While simmering, chop giblets and shred meat. 6. Add corn, meat and giblets, simmer a final twenty minutes, or until sufficiently thickened, stirring often to prevent scorching. 7. Adjust seasoning, adding more LSD if necessary. Serve. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Liquid Seasoning Decoction (LSD) Reserved backs, necks and wingtips from hen and duck 1/2 C chopped onion 1/4 C minced garlic 6 bay leaves 6 lemons, peeled and cut crosswise in 1/8" slices 1 C Worcestershire sauce 1/2 C dry white wine 1/2 tsp. salt, divided 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper 1/8 tsp. cayenne 1. Roast bird parts at 425 F until browned and crispy, about 40 minutes. 2. Pour fat off roasting pan, strain and reserve. Deglaze the pan with water. 3. Put bird parts and deglazing liquid in a saucepot. Cover with water and add 1/4 tsp salt. 4. Bring slowly to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for two hours. Set aside to steep for 30 minutes, then strain into a glass container. 5. Chill stock and skim fat. Reduce or add water to make one quart. 6. Over medium heat, saute the onion and garlic in a little of the strained duck fat until tender. 7. Add the stock, seasonings, lemons, Worcestershire sauce and wine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. 8. Remove from heat and steep for 15 minutes. Strain into a small saucepan, discarding solids. You should have about 3 cups. 9. Bring stock to a boil. Reduce to 3/4 cup. ------------------------------------------------------------ Comments appreciated.
