Real Stew: 300 Recipes for Authentic Home-Cooked Cassoulet, Gumbo, Chili, Curry, Minestrone, Bouillabaise, Stroganoff, Goulash, C

I have owned this book for about a year now, and it's fantastic. The recipes are not instant, but if you have the time and inclination to make wonderful, authentic tasting (vegetarian and non-vegetarian) food, buy this book. My particular favorites are the chicken and sweet potato curry, spinach bouillibaise, and the full-length traditional bouillabaise. However, I have never made a recipe from this book that I didn't like. After buying loads of seasonal vegetables at the farmer's market - this book is one of my first stops in finding ways to use the vegetables. I'm buying a copy today for my brother; I'm sure he'll love it. I'm also looking forward to using Mr. Wright's Meditaranean cookbook which I'm buying.

This book, like all of Clifford Wright's books, is a pleasure and a treasure. The man is a genius. Most of the recipes are extremely easy and extremely delicious, like the Hungarian Smoked Sausage and Prune Stew, which has a total of 4 ingredients, including water (a garnish/enrichment adds 2 more). Wright makes the recipes easy by giving authentic ingredients but including substitutes that you can find in any market. For example, he says to use a prosciutto bone or a ham bone; goat milk or cow milk plus cream, etc. Many of the stews have only 3 or 4 ingredients after water and salt and pepper; many include ingredients that are just throw-ins that require no preparation, like olives, capers, tomato paste, nuts, or raisins. The more adventurous cook can try recipes that include things like preserved lemons--Wright tells you how to make them. He also makes the book idiot-proof with the organization: "Stews With Beef," "Stews With Pork," "Stews With Vegetables"--you get the idea. If you don't like some of the ingredients, you can substitute what you do like. You can't go wrong with Wright.

I was dismayed to see that 25 of 27 readers found the panning review by "Houston TX Reader" (December 12, 2002) to be helpful. His review is seriously flawed, and very much misses the point. For one, Wright's "Cliff's No-Name Stew," which "Houston" lambastes, is clearly a tongue-in-cheek finale, a freezer-and-fridge-emptying fun project, and not one of the carefully researched ethnic recipes that Wright offers. While sometimes complex, these recipes and his notes give a clear and richly detailed account of a world of classic, authentic, and distinguished stews. "Houston" seems preoccupied with counting ingredients, and lacks the cook's common sense to omit or substitute -- there is no need to despair of parsley root or duck fat, or to vacate to "chefs with unlimited access." My concern, really, is not with "Houston," but with the 25 readers who may have given this book less than a fair look. Please try again.

I am a longtime fan of cookbook author Clifford A. Wright, and was delighted to get a copy of his latest, "Real Stew." Perfect just as the weather starts coming on cold, this cookbook makes wonderful leisure-time reading and is chock-full of terrific recipes to boot.Wright has set an ambitious agenda for himself here, including stews from all over the world. Hungarian Paprikash is here, as is Spicy Indian Eggplant Stew, Bedouin Lamb and Mushroom Stew, Swedish Sailor's Beef Stew, and more. I can't find one that doesn't come across as utterly mouthwatering. Stew is comfort food at its most primal, of course, and Wright gets down and dirty and primal with the ingredients. You'll find stews here calling for rabbit, for instance, and he even gives a brief overview of a Canadian specialty called Assiniboin Bear Stew (which he cautions you not to make unless you're prepared to marinate the bear meat in either wine or vinegar). Of course there are plenty of fish and shellfish stews as well.Beautiful graphic design, numbered directions (in my view, a must for when the cook must look away for a moment), and easy-to-assemble ingredient lists help to make Wright's "Real Stew" a real winner for both beginner and experienced cooks.