Simmertime
Winter warms up when you serve these long-cooked beef stews with faraway flavors.
In my view, beef stew is defined more by technique -- browning the meat, submerging it in flavorful liquid, and cooking it long and slow until it's super-tender -- than by ingredients. In that vein, this time last year I offered stews with Japanese and North African flavors. This year, the world tour continues with Cuban- and Italian-inspired versions. For ropa vieja ("old clothes" in Spanish), the beef is shredded -- hence the name. The Tuscan-style stew, based on classic Italian pot roast, derives much of its character from the region's red wine.
Cuban-style Shredded Beef Stew (Ropa Vieja)
Serves 6
Traditionally, the beef is braised in a separate step, which I have eliminated. Flank steaks are rarely as large as 3 pounds; more likely you'll find two 1½-pound steaks. Serve with yellow rice, lime wedges, and hot sauce.
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 pounds flank steak Salt and black pepper
2 large onions, thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
2 tablespoons flour
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2/3 cup dry sherry
1 cup homemade or packaged low-sodium chicken broth
1 14½-ounce can diced tomatoes
4 bay leaves
2 medium red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into ½-inch strips
1 cup green olives, pitted and sliced
1½ cups frozen peas, thawed
6 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Heat ½ tablespoon of oil in a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sprinkle meat with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper, add 1 steak to pot, and cook without moving until deeply browned on bottom, about 4½ minutes. Turn and cook without moving until second side is deeply browned, about 4½ minutes. Transfer meat to a plate. Add ½ tablespoon of oil to the pot and repeat with remaining steak (reducing heat if drippings begin to burn); transfer to plate.
Reduce heat to medium, add remaining tablespoon of oil, allow it to heat for a moment, then add onions and ½ teaspoon of salt. Stir to coat and cook until onions just start to soften, about 2 minutes. Add flour, stir to mix, and cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, cinnamon, and cloves and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 40 seconds. Add sherry and chicken broth, increase heat to high, and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown film on bottom of pot until it is all dissolved, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, bay leaves, and browned meat with accumulated juices, push it down into liquid, bring to a boil, reduce heat to very low, cover, and simmer until beef is tender, about 2½ hours. Remove steaks and when cool enough to handle, cut in half across the grain. Use 2 forks to break down meat into thin shreds and return to pot.
Add bell peppers to the pot, submerge them in liquid, cover, increase heat to medium, and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves, add olives, peas, and ½ teaspoon each salt and black pepper, stir to mix, and cook until peas are heated through, about 5 minutes. Add 4 tablespoons of parsley, taste stew, and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper, if necessary. Serve at once, sprinkling with remaining parsley.
Tuscan-style Beef Stew
with Chianti
Serves 6
Serve with polenta or pasta.
3 pounds beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1½-inch chunks
Salt and pepper
2tablespoons flour
4 ounces pancetta, cut into ¼-inch cubes
3 large onions, cut into 1½-inch wedges
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
3 tablespoons tomato paste
¼ cup brandy or cognac
½ cup homemade or packaged low-sodium chicken broth
1½ cups Chianti
4 bay leaves
1 pound baby carrots
6 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
In a medium bowl, toss beef with 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, and flour to coat. Place pancetta in a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to paper towel-lined plate and reserve; pour off all but 2 teaspoons of fat into a small bowl and set aside. Return pot to medium-high heat and heat until fat begins to bubble, about 40 seconds. Add half the beef pieces in a single layer without touching and cook without moving until deeply browned on the bottom, about 3½ minutes. Turn and cook until second side is deeply browned, about 3½ minutes; transfer beef to a medium bowl. Add 2 more teaspoons of pancetta fat to the pot, allow to heat for a moment, and repeat with remaining beef (reducing heat if drippings begin to burn); transfer it to the bowl.
Reduce heat to medium, add 2 more teaspoons of pancetta fat (reserve the rest for another use) to the pot, allow it to heat for a moment, then add onions and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir to coat and cook until just starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, rosemary, and tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 40 seconds. Add brandy and chicken broth, increase heat to high, and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown film on bottom of pot until it is all dissolved, about 1 minute. Add Chianti, bay leaves, and cooked meat with accumulated juices, push down into the liquid, bring to a boil, reduce heat to very low, cover, and simmer until beef is near fully tender, about 2 hours.
Add carrots, submerge them in the liquid, replace cover, increase heat to medium and cook until beef and carrots are tender, about 30 minutes longer. Add 4 tablespoons of parsley, ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper and stir to mix. Taste stew and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary, and serve at once, sprinkling with reserved cooked pancetta and remaining parsley.
Send comments or suggestions to Adam Ried at cooking@globe.com.
