In Argentina, the stew was originally cooked in the embers of a big outdoor fire; very romantic! data-pin-do=)
Carbonada Criolla by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan
September 29, 2017
Beef & Squash Stew from Argentina
Forgive me for ushering out the summer prematurely, but the sight of squash and pumpkins already in the markets made me think of this dish. Once, long ago, I actually cooked this stew in a pumpkin shell that had been emptied of its mushy clumps of seeds. * (I’ll include directions for this at the end of the recipe.)
In Argentina, the stew was originally cooked in the embers of a big outdoor fire; very romantic!
- Prep: 1 hrs
- Cook: 1 hrs
- Yields: 4-5
Ingredients
2 pounds, beef stew meat, cut into 2 inch cubes
½ to ¾ cup vegetable oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 medium yellow onion, about 10-12 ounces, AP weight *
2 green bell peppers, about 12 to 15 ounces AP weight*
2 medium carrots, peeled
6 whole cloves fresh garlic, peeled and thinly slivered
1 to 1 ½ pounds peeled butternut squash, diced into 1 inch cubes. (If I am using diced butternut squash in a recipe, I buy it already peeled.)
3 ounces dried apricot halves
1/3 cup tomato puree or crushed/diced tomatoes
½ cup dry sherry wine
6 cups beef broth, low sodium preferably
1 ½ to 2 pounds of sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes
Directions
1. Toss the beef cubes with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to season. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, coat the bottom of the pan with oil and sear the beef cubes in 2 or 3 batches. Work in batches, because if you crowd the pan, the meat steams and does not develop a good ‘crust’. Remove each seared batch of meat to a clean plate. Dump out the used oil each time and repeat the process until all the meat is seared. Dump out the fat. Set the pan aside. (We will use the pan to heat the beef stock, if the pan is NOT burned.)
2. Dice the onion, green peppers and carrots into ¼ inch pieces. Cook slowly in a braising pot with more vegetable oil. (A braising pot is a pan with a diameter greater than its height.) Cook until softened but not browned. Season with salt and pepper. Cut the apricots across into fine slivers and add to the pot. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the diced butternut squash and the sherry. Cook and stir for 5 minutes to reduce the sherry.
3. Add the seared beef cubes and any accumulated juices to the pot.
4. Heat the beef stock in the sauté pan used to sear the meat. Scrape up the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. This will do 2 things: these ‘bits’ will add flavor to the broth and it will make the pan easier to clean!
5. Cover the meat and vegetables with the heated stock/broth. The liquid should cover the ingredients by about 2 to 3 inches. Add more liquid if you need to. (If you have used all your beef stock and need more liquid, use chicken stock or water.)
6. Bring pot to a boil and turn the heat down so the pot just simmers. Cook, at a simmer, uncovered for about 1 hour or until the squash has fallen apart and cooked itself into the broth. (The cooked squash will thicken the stew.)
7. Add the diced sweet potatoes and taste the stew for seasoning and adjust. Continue to simmer for another 15-20 minutes or until the sweet potatoes have become tender but still hold their shape.
8. Turn off the heat and let the stew ‘rest’ for about an hour before serving. Skim off any fat that rises to the top. Reheat before serving or chill completely and serve another day.
9. Some versions of this recipe include corn. Consider serving the stew with warm cornbread and butter.
** To cook the stew in a pumpkin: First, I don’t recommend it!
I think you will be more successful in controlling the texture of the stew if you cook it as above. You will be more attentive to the cooking process when the stew is on the stovetop rather than in the oven. Alternately, cook a pumpkin separately and add the finished stew to it and bring that to the table. Be sure to put the roasted, soft and hot pumpkin in a large serving bowl first…before filling and moving it!!
Technique: Wash and dry the pumpkin (6 to 8 pounds). Cut off the top and scoop out the seeds and stringy membrane. Brush the insides with melted butter and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Place pumpkin on a roasting pan and cook at 325 degrees for 1 to 1 ½ hours or until the pumpkin has just softened. If it gets too soft, it will collapse. Err on the side of undercooking it a bit.
Reheat the stew and ladle the hot stew into the hot pumpkin. Scoop out some of the cooked flesh with each serving of stew….without collapsing it!!
*AP WEIGHT: refers to ‘as purchased’ weight; that is before it is trimmed, peeled and/or cut-up.
For example, whole butternut squash, AP, weighs 40-50% more than peeled, trimmed and de-seeded butternut squash. Professional chefs use tables of established AP and EP (‘edible portion’) weights to provide accuracy in purchasing.
