Simple Spanish Beef Stew With Peppers
This quick easy Simple Spanish Beef Stew With Peppers take little effort at all to prepare. However the taste is sublime with a rich deep red sauce. Perfect to serve with some crusty bread or potatoes to soak up the little bit of heaven on a plate.
Being a freelancer and working from home I am always under a bit of pressure to create dishes to delight the family when they return. The reason why I hear you ask. I am at home all day doing nothing of course, being a freelancer has its ups and downs. I try to do a recipe or two a week for my own site on Cheap Dinner Ideas but the rest of the time is working on clients sites.
Ingredients
- 375 g carrots
- 1 onion (medium or large)
- 3 cloves garlic (large)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large red pepper
- 1/4 cup flour (all-purpose)
- 800 g beef (stew meat cut into chunks)
- 250 ml tomatoes (canned, crushed)
- 500 ml red wine
- 500 ml water or beef stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons flour (all-purpose)
Instructions
Chop carrots into small pieces (1/4-inch).
Chop the pepper (any size will do)
Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic.
Pour a few tablespoons olive oil into a large pot .
While oil is heating, put the flour into a plastic bag add beef, shake and coat with flour.
Add the flour-coated beef to the cast iron pot and brown on all sides.(dutch oven)
Remove beef from pot and set aside.
Saute the carrots, onions, pepper and garlic in the same oil (adding a bit more oil if needed so vegetables do not stick). or you can add a splash of wine to release the bits form the side
When onions turn transparent, stir in crushed tomatoes.
Add browned meat back into the pan.
Raise heat to high and add wine, water, and bay leaf.
Bring to a boil, then lower then place in the oven at 180c for around 2 hours
Ideally you want to have the stock reduced and nice and thick so take the lid of the pot half way through cooking so it thickens
Serve with crusty bread or potatoes
Notes
Fats and calories are only estimates form a database of foods.
The Presure of Time
I do enjoy working from home and getting to see the kids as in my previous work life I often did 80 hours a week. However I barely have time to leave the kitchen table as I do need to earn a buck or two. So like every other working person I sometimes need quick recipes to prepare so I can continue to work. Not to even mention the sometimes I need to make something during the day for me to eat. That needs to be super quick like this mackerel, because if I stop to long then the focus has gone and productivity slows.
Simple Spanish Beef Stew With Peppers
So this is the perfect answer to my prayers on some week days, especially when I have some leftover beef from the Sunday dinner. It doesn’t quite have a mirepoix as there is no celery in this one but the combination of carrots and onions gives good depth to the flavour. I cook this in. my trusted cast iron casserole pot, also know as a dutch oven to some. Its great as you can cook on the hob to cook the veg and then brown the meat. Then place in the oven and forget about it, the other bonus is you can take it out the oven and it will stay hot for ages. Cast iron has a homely everlasting quality, perhaps it reminds me of how my grandma used to cook way back when.
Spanish Beef Stew
A stew is stew some say, however with adding different ingredients it becomes localised. So ideally you want to be adding Spanish red wine to your dish. (Vino Tinto) Of course the olive oil has to be Spanish and ideally Spanish tomatoes. The herbs I hope you can simply grab them from your garden. No herbs in the garden then you need to read my post on the best herbs for growing and cooking.
This would go great with my crushed Anya potatoes with peas
Get cooking quick with my other classic Spanish Chicken a great recipe to grab out the fridge for a quick filling snack is my Spanish frittata
Happiest in the kitchen feeding the 3 children who are constantly hungry. Lucky enough to have worked in a Pro kitchen on a voluntary basis to learn the tricks of the trade.. Buckinghams The restaurant with one Table. With Chef Nick Buckingham.(RIP)