Beyond Dinty Moore
All around the world, beef stew is a showcase for the flavors of home.
If you think that beef stew is pure Americana, you're right. But that's only half of the story. Cooks the world over riff on the basic formula of slowly stewing tough meat (that is, cooking it submerged in liquid) until it becomes tender and pairing it with the seasonings and ingredients they have on hand. For instance, Japanese cooks stew beef with ginger, soy sauce, and the sweet cooking wine mirin. And across North Africa, olives and mixtures of spices characterize the regional cuisine - including beef stew.
JAPANESE BEEF STEW
SERVES 6
If you can't find daikon (or its near cousin lo bok), substitute purple-top turnips. Serve this stew with steamed rice.
3 pounds beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
2 teaspoons salt, plus extra for seasoning
1 teaspoon pepper, plus extra for seasoning
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups homemade or packaged low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup mirin
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 3-inch-by-1 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch slices, each smashed with the broad side of a chef's knife blade
Peeled zest and 1/4 cup juice from 1 lemon
1 small (about 1 pound) daikon or lo bok radish, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch slices, and each slice cut in half
2 pounds buttercup squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch wedges
6 scallions, white and light-green parts sliced thin, for sprinkling
In a medium bowl, toss the beef with the 2 teaspoons of salt, the 1 teaspoon of pepper, and flour to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half of the beef in a single layer (do not crowd), and cook without moving until deeply browned on the bottom, about 3 1/2 minutes. Turn the pieces and cook, again without moving, until second side is deeply browned, about 3 1/2 minutes longer. Transfer the beef to another medium bowl, add 1 tablespoon of oil to the empty pot, and repeat process to cook remaining beef (reducing the heat if the drippings begin to burn); transfer the beef to the bowl with the first batch when it's done.
Return the pot to the burner, add the chicken broth, mirin, soy sauce, ginger, and lemon zest. Increase the heat to high and, using a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pot until the drippings dissolve into the liquid, about 2 minutes. Add the cooked beef with accumulated juices, push it down into the liquid, bring to a boil, reduce heat to very low, cover pot, and simmer until the beef is tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
Fish out of the pot the large pieces of ginger and lemon zest and discard them. Add the daikon or lo bok radish, submerge the pieces partially in the liquid, cover the pot, increase the heat to medium and cook until they begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add the squash, submerge it as much as you can, cover the pot, and continue cooking until both the radish and squash are tender, about 12 minutes longer. Add the lemon juice, adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, and serve at once with steamed white rice, sprinkling each portion with scallions.
NORTH AFRICAN BEEF STEW
SERVES 6
Adapted from Real Stew, by Clifford Wright (Harvard Common Press). Serve with steamed couscous.
3 pounds beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
2 teaspoons salt, plus extra for seasoning
1 teaspoon pepper, plus extra for seasoning
2 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 1/4 cups water
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes
3/4 pound baby carrots
1 1/2 cups green olives, pitted and halved lengthwise
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
In a medium bowl, toss the beef with the 2 teaspoons of salt, the 1 teaspoon of pepper, and flour to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half of the beef in a single layer (do not crowd), and cook without moving until deeply browned on the bottom, about 31/2 minutes. Turn the pieces and cook, again without moving, until second side is deeply browned, about 3 1/2 minutes longer. Transfer the beef to another medium bowl, add 1 tablespoon of oil to the empty pot, and repeat process to cook remaining beef (reducing the heat if the drippings begin to burn); transfer the beef to the bowl with the first batch when it's done.
Return the pot to the burner, reduce the heat to medium, add the remaining tablespoon of oil, allow it to heat for a moment, then add the onion. Stir and cook until the onion starts to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, coriander, paprika, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 40 seconds. Add the water and tomatoes, increase the heat to high and, using a wooden spoon, scrape bottom of pot until the drippings dissolve into the liquid, about 2 minutes. Add the cooked beef with accumulated juices, push it down into the liquid, bring to a boil, reduce heat to very low, cover pot, and simmer until the beef is tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
Add the carrots and olives to the pot, submerge them in the liquid, cover the pot, increase the heat to medium, and cook until the carrots are tender, about 25 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons of the parsley and the lemon juice, adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, and serve at once with steamed couscous, sprinkling each portion with some of the remaining parsley.
Send comments or suggestions to Adam Ried at cooking@globe.com.
