What are your favorite ingredients to add to stew?

I have found myself being able to slap together a decent basic stew these days and am feeling adventurous as of late.

What are some of your favorite additions to add to stew?

My stew ingredient list is very similar to this photo.



My personal favorite basic beef stew recipe comes from AllRecipes.

Thank you in advance!

I'm a fan of both cooking it on the stovetop or utilizing a slow cooker. They both come out with a wonderful product. I have recently received a large cast iron dutch oven and I'm itching to break it in with a nice beef stew. I still have some stew meat form the quarter cow I obtained the past year. I'm thinking tomorrow I'm going to get my hands on some veggies and make a nice pot of stew.

What inspired me to make a beef stew was taking a look at historical recipes.

Mine is just beef or deer dusted with wheat flour and browned on all sides. Also, a big onion sliced, floured and browned. That all goes in a kettle with water and cooked until meat is tender, and juice is deduced to a gravy consistency.  Then goes in carrots, potatoes, celery, more onion and just a little garlic, all to cook a little more. And salt to taste and a small dose of rosemary. I serve it with a skillet of cornbread and cottage cheese on the side. Peas can be added to the stew, but I cook them separately and add when serving because I think they taint the other flavors if cooked together.

Pretty much the same - I use powdered stock though,  and sometimes beer.   Othertimes leave off the tomato paste and add "left-over" red wine -  this  extracts as the glutinous bits - like the white wine that goes into a rich bolognese sauce.   Summer - slow cooker;  Winter - on top of the woodstove.
For pale meats - chicken and pork, then leeks replace the onions, and milk for the liquid.    It's not unknown to use curry spices,  but not pre-made ones - the do-it-yourself ones give a result more liked by my tastebuds - i.e I can go easy on the chili.   Depends on the mood really.