Monday, January 18, 2010

Estofado de Ternera Con Patatas de Nuria (Nuria's Beef and Potato Stew)

I was craving a delicious beef stew today, but wanted something different from the typical Cuban "Carne Con Papas" (Cuban beef and potato stew) I usually eat, and didn't feel like eating any of the stews with "Pimienton" in it (sweet smoked or hot smoked Spanish paprika) or sauces heavy on tomato....

and so I browsed around online and remembered way back in Nuria's blog called "Spanish Recipes" I saw a delicious veal and potato stew she makes with fresh herbs she labeled as "Meat Stew with Potatoes". I decided to make it today and it was a hit in my house.

If you love gravy you'll love this the stew is flavorful coated in a rich meaty brown gravy sauce with hardy potatoes with peas and carrots for color. Perfect for the rainy cold weather we faced in Southern California today.

I didn't use her exact recipe instruction by instruction, I just read it once and did everything kind of my way using her's as a guideline but it is almost the same.

Ingredients:

-2 1/2 lbs. beef or veal stew meat I used beef shoulder clod steak
-salt and black pepper to taste
-flour to dust meat
-extra-virgin olive oil
-2 onions minced
-1 head of garlic, peeled and minced
-1 can 8 oz. tomato sauce (or 4 fresh tomatoes grated)
-1 cup white wine
-water enough to cover all meat
-3 bay leaves
-a small bunch fresh thyme sprigs
-a couple sprigs fresh oregano
-2 large or 4 small potatoes peeled and cut into large chunks
-2-3 carrots peeled and sliced into thin rounds
-1 cup frozen green peas or canned drained
-1 teaspoon monosodium glutamine/ msg (optional I use it sometimes)

Directions:

(1) Cut meat into cubes, season liberally with salt and pepper. Then dust in flour.

(2) Heat a large deep pan with generous amounts of olive oil. When hot on medium high heat, add meat and brown on all sides then set aside.

(3) In same pan add 2 minced onions, cook down about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic minced and cook until fragrant. Then stir in tomato sauce or fresh tomato, if using fresh tomato you have to let the fresh tomato cook down.

(4) Finally stir in white wine, bring to a boil on high, then add meat and enough water to cover, bring to a boil, add msg, taste for salt add more if necessary, add oregano, thyme, and bay leaves tide with a string. Allow to simmer about 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender.

(5) This part is optional in my opinion, but I like to do it, remove the tied bunch or oregano, thyme and bay leaves then puree the sauce until smooth (if you have a hand blender you don't have to remove meat, but if you don't then you have to add small batches into the blender then add back to pot I used a hand blender)

(6) Now add potatoes simmer 30 minutes until tender. Then add peas and carrots and let boil an additional 5-7 minutes. Turn off heat your done :)
(7) I like to eat it with white rice but bread is also good.
Please Note:
*I'm sure your favorite combination of fresh herbs would be wonderful in this dish. Also if you don't have fresh thyme or oregano I'm sure the dried would work in a pinch just remember when herbs are dried you use 1/2 of what you would use fresh even less. I'd use about 1 teaspoon dried thyme and 1 or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano.

*Next time I'm throwing the carrots in in very large pieces like just cut into 3 pieces a whole carrot and stew it with the potatoes jsut for a hardier appearance. Or you can also finely chop the carrots and sautee them together with the onion to get a sauce with a hint of sweetness which is what Nuria did but I had forgotten so I threw them in towards the end :)

9 comments:

Núria said...

Hola Nathan! Happy New Year, chico :D. I'm so glad you liked it!!! Muchas gracias por el link. Las fotos se ven estupendas y casi puedo olerlo desde aquí ;D.

It's grey and rainny here too (I hate it!) and a stew is such a good option. I just ordered some neck's beef meat to my butcher for a future stew... maybe I should take a look at yours and make a "intercambio cultural" he, he :D.

Keri said...

Whoa... this thing looks awesome, as do others here on your blog. I think you're my new hero. for sure a friend to check in on with some regularity. thank you so much for sharing these fabulous secrets. i will try for sure. Keri (a.k.a. Sam)

Jovan said...

Wow, this looks good. I'm tempted to try but do you think chicken would be a good substitute?
I wanna try making this some cold night :)...

Nathan said...

Nuria,
He he si "un intercambio cultural' :) aun que tambien te aseguro que esos espinazo's de res a de acer un buen Potaje :)

Sam,
Glad your enjoying the blog, I'm trying to psot as much as I can before I start school which is tomorrow. Haha thanks for the compliments I'm such a dork it makes me jump for joy haha.

Fernando,
Yeah I think chicken would work in a pinch, different flavor but still a delicious stew.

Just don't cook to the chicken to long, (I'd say after browning and all that boil it 30 minutes only, and add the potatoes in the beggining since by the time the potatoes are cooked so will the chicken, and I think 1 teaspoon of chicken bouillon will go really well in there)... feel free to switch up the spices I think a combination of rosemary, thyme, and oregano would be good with the chicken too :)

Anonymous said...

looks delicious. does sound good for a day like today! I've been searching for a beef stew recipe and I think this is the one:)
thanks.

Carlita said...

Nathan!! I've been reading your blog for months and my mouth always waters when I see your dishes.. I've been vegetarian for a few years on and off. And right now I'm going off lol. I'm peruvian and my step dad is cuban so I grew up with all these delicious dishes and I can't wait to make them all now!! Probably starting with this one, it looks so amazing. Thank you for all the great recipes! :)

Nathan said...

Hola Carlita,
Glad you stopped by to say hi, I always love hearing from others it's one of those things that makes me all happy to know other's enjoy my passion for cooking and are interested :) MMmmmmm.... I love Peruvian food, I have some friends from there.

Love the "Lomo Saltado" and "Papas a la Huacaina" as well as my favorite sweet "Picarones" makes my mouth water. Lucky you growing up with Peruvian and Cuban yumminess lol. I wish I knew more Peruvian dishes.

Sienna said...

yum.... I am always looking for authentic recipes and these look pretty legit. I will be making a few of these recipes for sure! thanks

Anonymous said...

i made this over the weekend and it was delicious. I followed the recipe to the letter and it turned out fantastic. Really simple to make as well.

kelli