Beef Chuck

This Swedish stew called Sjömansbiffgryta is one of the most typical family stews, which every Swede knows. This is one of those "lots of bang for the buck" types of stews. It's so simple, yet the taste it delivers is so satisfying. It is best to cook it in an enameled cast-iron casserole because it goes into a very hot oven for quite a while, and all the liquid gets absorbed and the casserole becomes a little crusty. I know it seems like an awfully long time to keep a stew in such a hot oven, but trust me, it works. You can deglaze the casserole with a bit of water if you like and pour it over the stew, which should be transferred to a serving bowl.

Naomi Wagman Kirstein of Danvers, Massachusetts, writes: "I would love to have the recipe for the West Indian beef stew served at The Golden Lemon Inn & Villas on St. Kitts, in the West Indies." The green olives in this recipe cut the richness of the stew by adding a slightly pungent flavor.<

This tiny meatloaf should not be overbaked! Once removed from the oven, it will keep cooking for a few minutes. The chili sauce is the American kind, not the Asian.

This venerable cold-weather dish has never looked so pretty or tasted so good. Partner it with a tossed green salad and French bread. Uncork a dry red wine.

Serve with: Grilled herbed potato slices and a salad of mixed baby greens and chopped beefsteak tomatoes, dressed with a red-wine vinaigrette. Dessert: Purchased plum tart with whipped crème fraîche.

Beef Stew Editor's Note: This recipe and introductory text are excerpted from The Exotic Kitchens of Peru, by Copeland Marks. We've also added some tips of our own below. For a complete guide to Peruvian cuisine, click here. This is a special dish that is only prepared on Mondays. My teacher told me that everyone she knew cooked Espesado on Mondays, a ritual that is universally accepted. In the clean and complete Central Market of Chiclayo, a number of the small eating shops were dispensing this to diners who knew what they wanted and expected it on Mondays.

Daube de Boeuf

This hearty, comforting stew comes together in just one pot and in a fraction of the time as most traditional beef and barley soup recipes.

Chill out with this spicy beef noodle soup recipe that boasts both chile heat and a steaming broth. The two kinds of heat work in tandem to cool you down.

Comforting slow-braised pot roast makes a flavor 180 by enlisting all the bright, spiced flavors of the classic ginger-rum cocktail.

This homey one-pot stew boasts a short ingredient list but tons of complex flavors, built over three hours in a mostly hands-off braise.

This succulent beef and black pepper stew is a set-it-and-forget-it meal finished with bright, fresh peas.

Chef Chris Rogienski shares the best pot roast recipe, featuring tender oven-braised beef chuck in tomatoey gravy, topped with tangles of bright pickled onions.

Ghormeh sabzi is one of the most celebrated Iranian stews. Andy Baraghani’s recipe includes lamb shoulder, onions, tons of fresh herbs, dried limes, and dried fenugreek leaves.

You can call it beef bourguignon if you want to sound fancy—nobody has to know how much easier it is than the French classic.

Make a big pot of this rich, meaty chili, a side of cornbread, and then never leave the couch.