STEW SEASON

The Spanish have a name for it, la comida de cuchara, “spoon food,” that genre of comfort food that’s soupy, stewy, saucy, slow-cooked deliciousness. It’s heart-warming food that also warms up the kitchen. These include potajes and cocidos, pots of legumes plus veggies plus meat, but also estofados and guisos, two words for stews, these usually without legumes.

While slow-cooked stews are perfect for chill February days, hints of spring (almond trees in bloom, daffodils poking up through damp soil) suggest a switch to new-season vegetables—artichokes and peas go into this beef stew. 

This stew is different from the old-fashioned one my mother made. The gravy is thickened with ground almonds instead of flour. The almond sauce, sometimes known as pepitoria or ajopollo, is equally good with meatballs, with vegetarian dishes such as potatoes, with chicken and fish. 

A heart-warming beef stew for February. Artichokes and peas give a hint of spring.

 

Serve red wine with this stew.

Spoon food! With bread, of course. 

I used cabezal de lomo, a cut of beef from the top of the loin. Chuck is the best equivalent. Also good are brisket, beef cheeks or shanks. They have enough collagen and fat to keep the braised meat juicy. Lean beef cooks up dry. Pork or lamb stew meat can be cooked using the same recipe. For a vegetarian version, use mushrooms instead of beef, vegetable stock, and add quartered hard-boiled eggs to the finished stew.

Beef Stew with Artichokes

Guiso de Ternera con Alcachofas

If using whole spices, crush them in a mortar then add them to the bread and almonds in the blender. Add ground spices directly to the blender.

Serves 4.

1 ½ pounds stewing beef

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves peeled garlic

1/3 cup blanched and skinned almonds

1 slice bread, crusts removed

Parsley

½ cup white wine

Pinch of saffron threads

½ teaspoon coarse salt

¼ teaspoon black peppercorns

1 clove

1 red onion, julienned

2 ½ cup meat or chicken stock

1 bay leaf

2-inch cinnamon stick

2 large artichokes (1 ¼ pounds) 

3 carrots, cut in 1-inch pieces

Lemon juice

1 cup shelled peas, fresh or frozen

Cut the beef into spoon-size (1-inch) chunks. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Let the meat come to room temperature.

Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a stew pan or deep skillet. Add the garlics. When they begin to sizzle add the almonds and slice of bread. Fry them, turning, until they are golden. Skim them out and place in a blender. Add a sprig of parsley and the wine. Let these ingredients soak until the bread softens.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the stew pan. On medium heat sauté the onions until they begin to brown, 8 minutes. Turn up the heat and add the cubes of beef. Let the meat brown on one side. Turn it and continue browning. Add 2 cups of the stock, the bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Simmer, covered, 30 minutes.  

While beef is cooking, place the saffron in a mortar with the coarse salt, peppercorns and clove. Crush the spices and add them to the blender with the fried bread. Blend to make a smooth paste. Set it aside.

Scoop out choke.

Add the carrots to the pan with the meat. Strip the artichokes of outer leaves, cut off and discard the top 2/3 of the leaves, leaving the bottoms only. Cut the bottoms into quarters. Use a melon ball cutter to scoop out the fuzzy chokes. Drop the artichoke pieces into water with lemon juice.

Simmer until beef is tender.

After the beef has simmered 30 minutes, add the carrots and artichokes to the pan. Stir in the paste of almonds, garlic, and fried bread. Add remaining ½ cup of stock. Cook, uncovered, until the alcohol cooks off, 2 minutes. Taste for salt and add more if needed. Cover the pan and simmer until beef is very tender, 30 to 60 minutes more. Add the peas 2 minutes before removing the pan from the heat. Discard the bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Let the stew settle 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley.

More stews:

Braised Tongue, Andalusian Style.

Andalusian Stew with Turkey.

Lamb and Bean Stew.

Slow-Cooked Beef Shank.

Pot-Roasted Beef Flank.

Braised Lamb Shanks with Prunes.

Rustic Beef Stew with Sausage.

Braised Ox-Tail.

Oven-Braised Beef Cheeks in Red Wine.

Shepherds' Lamb Stew.

Lamb Stew with Red Peppers.

"All-Together" Beef Stew (Tojunto).

Braised Lamb with Quinces.

Pork Stew with Mushrooms and Chestnuts.

Pork Stew with Summer Vegetables.

Potatoes in Garlicky Almond Sauce (Ajopollo). (vegetarian)

Potato and Wild Mushroom Stew. (vegetarian)