Special touches enliven hearty stew
Is there anything more quintessential to the cooler months than a hearty beef stew? Hot bowls of slurpable goodness are best enjoyed with a warm blanket, accompanied by a buttered cheese scone or crusty bread.
This recipe starts out in a familiar manner, with onion, garlic, carrot, celery and beef, but the addition of orange, warm spices and creamy pinto beans (often used in Mexican cuisine; find them among the canned beans at the supermarket) make this stew extra special.
Orange is a tasty pair for red meat as it cuts through richness and adds liveliness. When eating this stew, I was pleasantly reminded of Jaffas. Try it and you’ll see what I mean.
Spiced beef and pinto bean stew with orange
Serves 4
Ready in 1 hour 15 minutes
■ 750g diced beef
■ 1 large onion, finely chopped
■ 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
■ 300g carrots, thinly sliced into rounds
■ 1 litre beef or vegetable stock
■ 1 large celery stalk, diced
■ 1 x 400g can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
■ Zest and juice of 1 large orange
■ 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
■ 8 dried apricots, diced
■ 1 tsp ground cinnamon
■ 1⁄2 tsp ground ginger
■ 1⁄4 cup tightly packed parsley, finely chopped
■ Salt and pepper, to season Method
In a large saucepan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until evenly browned all over and juices have released. Transfer beef to a plate, keeping the juices in the pot.
With the pot on medium-high heat, add onion and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes, then add carrot. Deglaze the pan with a splash of water, then cook for an additional 5 minutes until onion is translucent.
Add beef, along with stock and celery. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover with a lid. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Add pinto beans, orange juice and zest, Worcestershire sauce, dried apricots and spices. Continue to simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes until the broth has thickened slightly and meat is tender.
Stir through parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot, with buttered bread and an extra sprinkling of parsley.
■ For more of Olivia’s recipes visit www.thatgreenolive.com