Anchovie pastes is usually near the canned fist.

In any case, the recipe calls for them and says they're important. ATK tries to take a scientific approach to developing good, traditional dishes in non-conventional ways. Skipping the steps that seem odd seem to defeat the purpose of trying the recipe.

Anonymous wrote:Anchovies are to add depth of flavor (umami). They are not "nasty" - there is no fishy flavor. It's a well established way to give flavor. The salt pork is probably less important - if you use the fat to brown the meat, you could probably substitute any fat without missing that much.

For the same reason, I make beef stew with my mother's recipe (she was Chinese cooking instructor years ago when I was in school). Instead of anchovies, she adds soy sauce which adds the umami to the beef. I just made a batch about 2 weeks ago and my wife was surprised how good the flavor was to the gravy.

Anonymous wrote:Anchovies are to add depth of flavor (umami). They are not "nasty" - there is no fishy flavor. It's a well established way to give flavor. The salt pork is probably less important - if you use the fat to brown the meat, you could probably substitute any fat without missing that much.

This PP knows what they're talking about. Anchovies in cooking are very different than ones you'd find on a pizza in terms of taste.

You can find them in a jar or a tin or even a paste in pretty much any grocery store.

Anonymous wrote:Frozen shrimp instead of anchovies.

The two aren't interchangeable. A stew requires a long cooking time. Overcooked shrimp is beyond gross.

Anchovies don't belong in beef stew.

Anonymous wrote:I agree anchovies are great in a stew, but I wouldn't say they are essential. I am making a beef stew rright now - I used a little pork fat, and a couple of shakes of worcestershire sauce, but no anchovies, and I am convinced it is going to be very good.

Doesn't Worcestershire sauce have anchovies in it? I realize it's not the same, but it's in there.

I use another ATK stew recipe that doesn't have either in it.

I agree anchovies are great in a stew, but I wouldn't say they are essential. I am making a beef stew rright now - I used a little pork fat, and a couple of shakes of worcestershire sauce, but no anchovies, and I am convinced it is going to be very good.

Anchovies are to add depth of flavor (umami). They are not "nasty" - there is no fishy flavor. It's a well established way to give flavor. The salt pork is probably less important - if you use the fat to brown the meat, you could probably substitute any fat without missing that much.

Anonymous wrote:I make beef stew all the time and never used anchovies ( NASTY ) or salt pork.

I use ready made roux, a nice lean roast, potatoes, carrots, onions, bell peppers, salt black pepper, red pepper.

Ready made roux? It has two ingredients.

Frozen shrimp instead of anchovies.

Yes, anchovies in a can, usually near the canned tuna, although you may also find it near Italian products if your store stocks that way. I have seen salt pork in the grocery store near other pork products (separate from the bacon, which is in the lunch meat area of my usual grocery store).

I make beef stew all the time and never used anchovies ( NASTY ) or salt pork.

I use ready made roux, a nice lean roast, potatoes, carrots, onions, bell peppers, salt black pepper, red pepper.

The America Test Kitchen recipe for beef stew makes a big deal about not skipping the anchovies or salt pork:

http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/making-beef-stew-5-common-mistakes-fix-them-225900204.html

Where do I find these products? Are the anchovies in a can in the tuna aisle? Or do I need to get them fresh and I just chop them up raw? I also don't know anything about salt pork (it says get 75% lean). Do I need to go to a butcher for that? Or is it in the bacon aisle at the grocery store? Also, is it a raw piece of meat that I put in the stew at the end? It would seem odd to not brown it first. It says to remove the salt pork at the end so I assume I just put it in the pot in one big chunk and not chop it up first? Usually Cook's Illustrated does a pretty good job about explaining these things but I have never used these ingredients before so I am confused. TIA.