Spanish Stew Recipe

Guest Post by Natalia Rankine-Galloway

I love the collection of soups and stews that people share with me. This week, Natalia Rankine-Galloway of Culture Baby shared this delicious Spanish Stew. This is her take on a recipe that she saw demonstrated on a TV travel show. She noted, “The host cooked it over an open flame on a mountain side in Northern Spain which I am sure makes it taste even better but it comes out pretty great in a regular NY kitchen!” Enjoy and happy weekend.

Spanish Stew
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons Olive Oil
1lb Beef Chuck or Stew Meat
2-3 Medium Idaho potatoes
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Green Bell Pepper
1 large Beefsteak tomato
Kosher Salt
3-4 cups Low-Sodium Beef Stock
Fresh ground Pepper
Pinch of Saffron
1 clove garlic (optional)

Directions:
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over a medium heat in a dutch oven. Add the diced tomato and bell peppers along with a pinch of Kosher salt and some fresh ground pepper (you can also add optional minced garlic). Cover the pot and let the salt work on the vegetables for 20 mins. Stir occasionally.

Meanwhile, sear the cubed beef in a separate pan with the remaining oil and a little more salt and pepper.
Cube the potatoes and keep them in a bowl with cold water just covering them to avoid browning.

When the vegetables are done, add the seared beef and the potatoes with their water. Top up the pot with the stock so that all ingredients are covered. Add a generous pinch of saffron and cover the pot. Cover and let cook on a medium-high heat for 40 mins. Delicious when reheated!

There it is! I hope you like it. It is super hearty!

In the interest of full disclosure, I must say that the reason I finally made this connection was that I was about to write and tell you about a little event I am having tomorrow at Sprout’s Organic Baby Boutique at 1375 3rd Ave. In addition to making fantastic stew (if I do say so myself) I run a little company specializing in international baby items; products that let you celebrate a particular cultural heritage or global diversity with a new baby. All the items and more details are at www.culturebaby.com.