Fast, tasty and thrifty: Spanish beef ragout

You know how it is … you’re standing there, staring absently into the freezer, cold air pooling out onto the kitchen floor. Helloooooo. Please, something jump out at me. Tell me what to make tonight. Please. There was this small package of stew meat, picked up because it was so cheap, like $4 bucks for grass-fed beef. What to do with you, my lovely?

There was that tin of Spanish Smoked Pimenton on the counter. Ah, the light bulb comes on! Spanish Pimenton will make you throw rocks at regular paprika. It’s pricey, but a tin goes a long way if stored properly. You can buy it online,  or at Williams-Sonoma stores and probably at markets like Whole Foods.

I keep jars of the Roasted Sweet Peppers in the pantry all the time for Spanish dishes, soups and stews. The Dunbar brand is very inexpensive at Winco, and perfect great in this recipe.

This is so damn savory, yummy, cold-winter-night satisfyingly good - make extra because it will freeze really well. And, you can eat it over potatoes, pasta, toasted artisan bread, brown rice …. oh, my. Put some steamed veg on the side and you’ve got a incredibly healthy, rich tasting one-pan meal for cheap.

Ingredients

Get your pound of cubed stew beef defrosting. I cut mine up into smaller chunks so it would cook faster. I wanted this tonight, not tomorrow.

1/2 small sweet onion, finely diced

3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced

4 Roma tomatoes, chopped (forgive me, I used Tomatillos, since that’s what I had)

3-4 tablespoons brown sugar

3-4 tablespoons Spanish Smoked Paprika

1 cup robust red wine - like a Tait Ball-Buster 2008 Red Blend - plus more for drinking while cooking. You can get this at Costco.

one small can of tomato paste

1 12-ounce jar of roasted red sweet peppers, with the juice, pureed

2-4 tablespoons Spanish Sherry de Jerez vinegar

2 tablespoons, finely minced fresh herbs: Rosemary, Thyme, Parsley, Oregano

4-5 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to season the meat with

Technique

In a large warmed skillet, on medium high heat, add the olive oil and swirl. Add the seasoned beef and sauté until browned. Remove and set aside. Add the onions to the pan and sauté for a few minutes until they begin to ‘sweat’ or become slightly translucent, then add the garlic and minced herbs. Stir and sauté for a minute or two, then add the paprika. Sauté for another couple minutes. Let the flavors develop.

Put the meat back into the pan, with the roasted red pepper puree, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, Sherry vinegar, brown sugar and tomatoes.

Stir to combine. Reduce heat to simmer, and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 30 minutes. Adjust the thickness, by adding a bit more wine or water. Adjust brown sugar/vinegar,  salt/pepper to taste.

Serve.

This could also be made with ground beef, and served over pasta! I also would try it with venison or wild boar.

-maven