Recipes with bay leaves

Set it and forget it! This classic French Coq Au Vin slow cooker recipe transforms chicken into fork-tender magic with red wine, bacon, and earthy mushrooms.

Veal stew browned on the stovetop then finished in the microwave with beef bouillon, mushrooms, tomato, and onion in a flour-thickened sauce. Fork-tender veal in under 40 minutes.

Quick beef stew uses canned vegetables and pre-cooked beef cubes warmed in beef gravy with onion and bay in the microwave. Ready in 15 minutes for a budget-friendly weeknight dinner.

Veau dans le chaudron, a French-Canadian veal pot roast browned in bacon fat with garlic, then braised with whole potatoes and onions. No added liquid needed.

Authentic Texas chili con carne with cubed beef (no beans), simmered in a paste of rehydrated ancho and pequin chiles. Slow-simmered for 90 minutes of deep, smoky heat.

Spicy tamale pie with simmered beef chuck and pork shoulder, dried chile gravy, raisins, and olives under a cornmeal masa-style crust. Tex-Mex history on a plate.

Venison-beef stew combines wild game and beef with potatoes, carrots, celery, and peas in a rich broth. A hearty hunter's stew that simmers low and slow for tender results.

Microwave Brunswick stew with chicken, lima beans, corn, okra, and tomatoes. A quicker take on the Southern classic that builds its own broth from scratch in about 40 minutes.

My hearty soup starts with a homemade stock simmered low for hours, then strained and skimmed clean before a load of vegetables, pasta, and pulled meat go in. A from-scratch, stick-to-your-ribs bowl made the old-fashioned way.

Slow cooker split pea and ham soup made with a meaty ham bone, green split peas, and aromatic herbs like marjoram, thyme, and celery seed. Just load the pot and let it go for 10 hours.

Fish fillets with tomatoes, capers, and olives is the Veracruz-style Mexican classic: lime-marinated red snapper or halibut simmered in tomato-olive-caper sauce spiked with pickled jalapeños and warm spices.

Zesty cioppino with shrimp, Dungeness crab, and scallops simmered in a tomato-white wine broth with herbs. A San Francisco-style seafood stew in one hour.

Mom's beef stew braised in red wine and tomato sauce with white wine vinegar, oregano, potatoes, and carrots. Low and slow comfort food for six.

Pacific Northwest smoked salmon chowder with red potatoes, fish stock, dill, tarragon, and a finish of half-and-half. Smoky, herby, and built on bacon fat for layered depth.

Ground chicken and veal patties loaded with sautéed mushrooms and herbs, pan-fried and oven-crisped, then served with a punchy Dijon and English mustard sauce. Bistro-style burgers for eight.

Grandma's Ohio farm chili made with ground beef, hot Italian sausage, kidney beans, and condensed tomato soup. Served the Midwest way: ladled over mashed potatoes in a big bowl.