Beef Stew with Warm Spices and Baby Potatoes
Tender chunks of beef are slow cooked to perfection in a rich gravy enhanced with soothing warmth of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, pungent ginger and savory aromatics.
Equipment
- 1 large iron cast skillet
Ingredients
- 1 kg braising beef cut into large chunks
- 2 shallots sliced
- 4 garlic cloves bruised
- 7 cm piece of ginger grated or thinly sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbsp Baharat blend see notes
- 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg or 2 tsp nutmeg powder
- 150 ml dry red wine
- 200 ml tomato passata
- 0.5 kg baby potatoes
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Heat cooking oil to high and sear the chunks of beef from all sides (do it in batches to not overcrowd the pan). Transfer to a plate.
- Add shallots and garlic to the same pan and cook for a minute or two.
- Deglaze the skillet with red wine. Scrape the brown bits off the sides of the pan and stir into the wine. (See notes)
- Stir in the spice blend and ginger and add the tomato passata. (See notes)
- Sprinkle over grated nutmeg and give everything another good stir. Gently simmer for 5-10 minutes for the flavours to blend.
- Tuck in the meat. It should be covered by about 2/3. If there is not enough liquid, add chicken stock or water.
- Put the lid on, lower the flames to the minimum and allow to bubble gently for 2-3 hours until the meat is super tender.
- Pop in the potatoes and cook until done.
- Serve as is, with lots of fresh bread to mop up the yummy gravy.
Notes
- You can use chicken or vegetable stock in place of wine.
- Instead of Baharat, you can use 7 spice blend (which is a different name for it) or another warm seasoning such as Garam Masala or Jamaican Jerk.
- You can skip a spice blend altogether and pop in cinnamon stick and a few whole cloves instead. If you do that, add them together with shallots and garlic.
- If you want a more prominent gingery taste, grate a knob of fresh ginger into the gravy towards the end of the cooking (just before turning the heat off).