Smoky Beef & Bean Stew
A glossy, brick-dark stew steaming over rice, cool soured cream melting into the heat as the cheddar slumps and the spring onions crackle on top.
Ingredients
Serves 4- 700 gbeef braising steak, cut into 3cm cubes
- 4garlic cloves, minced
- 400 mlbeef stock
- 2carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 tbsptomato purée
- 1 x 400gtin chopped tomatoes
- Fine salt, to taste
- 1large onion, diced
- 2 tspground cumin
- 1 tspsmoked paprika
- 2 tbspvegetable oil
- 2 tbspchipotle paste
- 480 gtinned kidney beans, drained weight
- 1red pepper, diced
- Black pepper, to taste
- 150 mlsoured cream (optional)
- 10 gparsley leaves, torn, optional (optional)
- 600 gcooked white rice, optional (optional)
- 50 gpickled jalapeños (optional)
- 4flour tortillas, warmed (optional)
- 100 gmature cheddar, grated (optional)
- 4spring onions, finely sliced (optional)
Method
- Pat the beef dry on kitchen paper and season generously with salt and black pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy casserole over high heat until it shimmers.
- Brown the beef in two batches for 8–10 minutes per batch, turning to colour several sides. Keep space between the pieces so they sear rather than steam. Transfer to a plate.
- Drop the heat to medium. Add the onion, carrots, and red pepper to the same pot and cook for 7–8 minutes, stirring now and then, until softened and just catching at the edges. The vegetables will pull up the stuck bits as they release their water.
- Stir in the garlic, chipotle paste, tomato purée, cumin, and smoked paprika. Cook for 60–90 seconds, stirring constantly, until the spices smell toasted and the paste darkens. Watch the garlic; once it's fragrant and pale gold, move on.
- Tip in the chopped tomatoes and beef stock, scraping every brown scrap off the base; that's flavour, not mess. Bring to a boil.
- Return the beef and juices, cover and simmer gently for 2–2½ hours until the meat yields easily to a fork. Stir occasionally and add a splash of water if the sauce catches.
- Stir in the kidney beans and cook uncovered for a further 10 minutes to thicken.
- Serve the stew with any optional rice, soured cream, Cheddar, spring onions, torn parsley, pickled jalapeños and warm tortillas.
Per serving
- kcal
- 753
- protein
- 46.2g
- fibre
- 12.4g
- carbs
- 47g
- fat
- 41.9g
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