Catalan Beef Stew With Chocolate and Potatoes
Catalonian beef stew plucks out the all-time notes in Lodi Zinfandel
Whenever I plan to cook a recipe that is new to me, and then attempt to develop my own version, I e'er look to run across what others accept done. For Estofado a la Catalana, or Estofat de bou, a beefiness stew from Catalonia, a region on the eastern coast of Spain and whose spiritual heart and soul is Barcelona, I turned to iii cookbooks in my library: Colman Andrews' "Catalan Cuisine," "Paula Wolfert's World of Nutrient" and Penelope Casas' "The Foods and Wines of Spain." After reading their recipes and seeing what ingredients were common to all, and what were personal flavor choices, I and so prepared this dish, which is a distillation of their recipes, suited to my palate and flavor predilections. Lodi produces many wines, but Zinfandel has a long history in that location, and the recipe has been adapted to pair well with the Zinfandels on manus.
All the recipes had pancetta, bacon or salt pork and new potatoes. Two of the versions added botifarra sausage, sugariness spices and a touch of bitter chocolate. It was in the pick of wine that differences appeared. Casas used white wine, to me an odd choice for braising beef. Wolfert used red wine and a touch of black Muscat for sweetness and anisette to pick up on the fennel notes. Andrews offered two versions of the stew, one using sherry and the other dry out red vino. Of course, for my recipe there was no question in my mind. I was going to employ red vino, preferably Zinfandel, to pair with wines for this column.
But I did non want to give up on the nutty sugariness of the sherry. I noted that 1 of Andrews' estofat recipes was closely related to a French beefiness daube because information technology had strips of orangish skin and olives. (The French border is non far from Catalonia.) I liked that idea, because I knew that the orange zest would subtly option up on the concentrated ruby fruit in the wine.
In some Zinfandels there are lively spice notes such every bit cinnamon, fennel and chocolate so this stew was a natural for pairing. The glazed carrots and caramelized pearl onions add additional notes of sweetness and are a wonderful foil for those oakier styles of vino. By browning the meat and vegetables to add a bit of char, and calculation enough the black pepper, you volition concur the tannins in check, which is critical if you lot have a younger, bolder vino.
As the meat is simmered for a long time it needs to take some internal marbling of fat or information technology volition be dry. You can use boneless chuck, boneless short ribs, or brisket. For maximum flavor I like to marinate the meat overnight in some of the wine and spices. Botifarra is a mild Spanish pork sausage not imported here, so you lot tin use an Italian sweet sausage seasoned with fennel in its stead.
Estofado a la Catalana
Serves 6-viii
The meat part of the stew can exist prepared one or two days earlier, the vegetables prepared separately and and so all the parts assembled and heated through for 20 minutes over low estrus on stove top or in a 350° oven.
INGREDIENTS:
3 pounds of beef chuck, brisket
or other well-marbled stewing beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons stale oregano
1 teaspoon ground toasted fennel seed
two teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
4 cups full-bodied ruby-red wine such as Zinfandel
1/two loving cup olive oil + boosted for vegetables
1/4 pound pancetta, cut into ane/4-inch dice
6 cups diced yellow onions (about 3 large)
2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
4 bay leaves, crumbled
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
one/2 cup beef stock
24 little new potatoes24 baby carrots or carrot chunks, peeled
24 pearl onions, peeled
3 to 4 Italian sweet sausages, optional
iv tablespoons sweet sherry
1 teaspoon grated bitter chocolate, optional
24 green or black olives
Salt and pepper to taste
vi tablespoons chopped parsley
INSTRUCTIONS:
Instructions: Marinate the beef overnight in the refrigerator in the following: one teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon cloves, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed, 1 teaspoon pepper and well-nigh two cups wine, or plenty to cover the meat.
Bring the meat to room temperature and bleed and reserve the excess wine.
Heat plenty olive oil to comprehend the bottom of a large saute pan, about 2-3 tablespoons. Dark-brown the meat in batches over loftier heat. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and fix aside. Echo until all the meat is browned.
In a Dutch oven or stew kettle heat the rest of the olive oil and melt the pancetta until lightly browned. Add together the chopped onions and cook over medium heat for most 10 minutes or until tender and translucent. Add together the garlic, the remaining spices, bay leaves, orange zest, stock and the balance of the vino forth with the reserved marinade. Return the meat to the pan, bring to a gentle boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pan and cook the stew, over low heat, covered, until the meat is tender but not falling apart, about 2 1/2 hours. (You tin likewise cook the stew in a 350° oven for 2 i/2 hours.)
Meanwhile, precook the vegetables. In separate batches, parboil the potatoes, carrots and onions until tender; you can sear them in separate batches high heat in a large pan with some olive oil to intensify their flavor and add some golden brown colour. Or you lot can toss the uncooked vegetables with olive oil and roast them for nigh i to one i/2 hours in a 350° oven, until they are glazed, tender and golden.
Saute the sausage if using and cutting into one-inch-thick rounds.
Skim the fatty off the top of the stew. Add together the sherry, and optional chocolate, potatoes, carrots and pearl onions. Add the sliced sausage, if using, and olives. Simmer together for about 15 minutes longer. Conform seasoning. Taste this with the wine that you are serving and meet if you lot desire more orange, sherry, fennel or pepper. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Per serving: 890 calories, 35 g protein, 36 g carbohydrate, 59 g fatty (23 g saturated), 134 mg cholesterol, 566 mg sodium, half-dozen g fiber.
Source: https://www.sfgate.com/wine/pairings/article/Catalonian-beef-stew-plucks-out-the-best-notes-in-2659281.php
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