The Italian stew features large chunks of meat and vegetables.
Italian stew is usually one of two things: a beef stew that originated in Italy, or a homemade stew with flavors and ingredients inspired by Italian pasta dishes. Common stews served in Italy include osso buco, stracotti, and spezzatino. These dishes are served throughout the year in Italy, becoming more common in winter, especially around Christmas. Italian stew sauce can range in texture from a thin, watery broth to a thickness similar to mashed potatoes or cooked oatmeal. Many Italian stews are simply roast meat cooked in broth or wine.
Italian stew usually contains shelled pasta.
In general, Italian stews are prepared using similar slow-cooking methods, but can contain many types of meat and vegetables. They can be made on the stovetop, in the oven, or in the slow cooker. The vegetables cooked in this type of stew are many, but include carrots, celery, and fennel. Potatoes, onion and garlic are also common in this type of stew.
The typical Italian stew usually contains beef, but can also contain other meats such as chicken, pork or veal. Rabbit is a very popular meat stew in northern Italy. Sausage is also a common meat in Italian stew.
Potatoes can often be found in Italian stew.
Authentic Italian stews generally have similar ingredients to vegetable soup, but tend to have larger pieces of meat and vegetables and sometimes have a thicker sauce. This is not always the case, as many Italian stews are made in broth. Italian stew is usually a main dish and is often served in a bowl or on a plate along with bread, polenta, or rice. Some stews are served on top of polenta.
Chicken Marsala is a thick Italian stew seasoned with wine and fresh herbs.
Like other stews, this type of stew is generally easy to prepare and lends itself well to storage and reheating. In countries other than Italy, particularly the United States, some dishes labeled Italian stew are simply pasta dishes with Italian flavors that have been made into stews, usually by reducing the broth or thickening the sauce in the mix. Typically, this type of stew contains small, hollow noodles, such as vermicelli or pasta with the shell.
Chicken cacciatore is a well-known Italian stew, often served with pasta.
Many Italian stew recipes that are most popular in Italy do not come from there. As Italian cuisine has been influenced by other nearby cultures, common stews in Italy include some originating from nearby areas such as Hungary and Croatia. The Italian stew called jota, which contains beans and bacon and is usually cooked with garlic, potatoes, and meat, originally came from Croatia.