Sunday Recipe: Quick Beef Stew (Stufato di Manzo)
Trim the beef, chop the vegetables, brown everything in a thick-bottomed pot. Keep an eye on it and give it a stir once in a while. This is a great recipe to make in the afternoon for a comfort food dinner that night.
The beef is fall-apart tender and the vegetables are soft with vibrant flavor all embraced by a sweet tomato gravy. Serve the stufato with just a hunk of rustic bread to sop up all the gravy. Or, serve it with polenta or even buttered fettuccine.
When I was a kid I liked to smash all of the vegetables with my fork to make a bed for the beef. That way I was sure to get some of everything in each bite. Sometimes I can’t help myself – I still smash the vegetables.
An Aglianico or a Nero d’Avola pairs nicely with the stufato. You need something gutsy to stand up to the rich flavors of the stew.
Stufato di Manzo (Beef Stew)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds beef chuck
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 onion
- 4 Yukon Gold potatoes
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 sprigs Italian parsley, 3 on the stem/roughly chop just the leaves from one
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons EVOO
- 3 cups water
- sea salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
Cooking Directions
- This dish looks and tastes best when all the ingredients are cut the same size.
- Trim excess fat from the beef. Cut in 2 inch cubes. Season with some sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Lightly dust the beef with flour.
- Quarter the carrots and potatoes then cut them into in 1/2 inch slices. Cut the celery stalk in half and cut into pieces the same size as the carrots and potatoes.
- Put 2 tablespoons of EVOO in an enamel pot or heavy-bottomed pot. Put it over a high flame to heat until it starts to ripple.
- When the oil is rippling add the beef. Let the beef develop a dark brown crust on all sides. A fond will form on the bottom of the pot. Those brown bits will be the base for the sauce. Lower the flam if necessary--do not let the fond burn.
- Take the well-browned beef out of the pot. Add another tablespoon EVOO if there is not enough in the pot to brown the vegetables. When the pot is hot add the vegetables and bay leaf.
- Add sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Stir the vegetables to coat well and cook until they pick up some brown color. .
- When the vegetables are done, clear a small spot on the bottom of the pan. Make sure it has a coating of oil adding some if necessary.
- Toast the tomato paste until it darkens dramatically. Stir to coat all of the vegetables with the paste.
- To braise add enough water to just cover the stew and scrape up (deglaze) all the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. They will dissolve into the sauce. (You can use stock but I don\'t think the dish really needs it. You can deglaze the bottom of the pot with 1/4 cup dry red wine to add another layer of flavor. Just cook off most of the wine before adding the braising liquid.)
- Add 3 stems of parsley and stir into the stew.
- Cook at a boiling simmer uncovered until the sauce thickens a bit.
- Put the cover ajar on the pot leaving a space for evaporation.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer. The stew should be just lightly bubbling at the edge of the pot. Stir the stew occasionally to ensure it does not burn on the bottom.
- Braise for about 90 minutes until the beef flakes when speared with a fork.
- Spoon the stew into a bowl and sprinkle a bit of finishing EVOO on top and chopped parsley for color.
- Serve immediately.
- Serves 4.