Beef stew with pumpkin and olives
8 servings
90 minutes
Beef shoulder is one of the most inexpensive and delicious cuts of meat, which is ideal for making all kinds of stews and goulashes, so I almost always use this part for thick and hearty dishes of this type .
1
Thaw the beef if purchased frozen or simply wash and dry it with a paper towel if sold chilled, then cut into large pieces. Wash the potatoes, peel them and cut into small uniform cubes; wash the peppers, dry them and coat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Preheat the oven to 200°C, place the peppers in a baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Wash the pumpkin, peel it and cut into cubes about 2 cm in size.
- Beef shoulder: 1 kg
- Potato: 5 piece
- Sweet pepper: 2 pieces
- Butternut Squash: 1 piece
2
While the vegetables are baking, chop the onion into cubes, crush the garlic with a garlic press, slice the chili pepper lengthwise, and remove the seeds, as they and the skin contain the most compounds that add heat. Cut the amount of pod you deem necessary, and put the rest in the freezer or dry it. For example, I use the whole pod with seeds — my husband loves spicy food, what can you do))
- Sweet red onion: 0.5 piece
- Garlic: 2 cloves
- Chili pepper: 1 piece
3
After half an hour, take the vegetables out of the oven, immediately place the peppers in a plastic bag or wrap them in food film and let them cool. After 10 minutes, open the bag, and if the peppers have cooled enough to handle, peel off the skin – it will come off easily due to the steam. Cut the pepper into strips and then cut those in half. Drain the liquid from the olives into a separate container – it will be useful for cooking; chop half with a knife and leave the rest whole for serving.
- Pitted olives: 1 jar
4
Sauté onion, garlic, chili pepper, and rosemary in 2 tbsp of olive oil, then add beef to the vegetable mix and fry until golden brown, which will take about 15 minutes, as the meat will release liquid during cooking, so the frying process will gradually turn into stewing. Once all the meat is browned, pour in 50 ml of water, cover with a lid, and stew for 30 minutes.
- Sweet red onion: 0.5 piece
- Garlic: 2 cloves
- Chili pepper: 1 piece
- Dried rosemary: pinch
- Beef shoulder: 1 kg
- Pitted olives: 1 jar
- Ground paprika: 1 teaspoon
5
After half an hour, open the lid and add potatoes and pumpkin. These vegetables have roughly the same texture, so they will cook at the same time; simmer covered until the potatoes and pumpkin are soft, adding water if needed to lightly cover the vegetables. The simmering process will take about 20 minutes.
- Potato: 5 piece
- Butternut Squash: 1 piece
6
After the specified time, open the lid, check the softness of the vegetables and beef – the pumpkin should fall apart into fibers, giving the stew thickness even without starch, and the potatoes and beef should be soft. Leave the stew on medium heat to let some liquid evaporate, add roasted pepper, chopped olives, add freshly ground black pepper, ground paprika, pour in half the liquid from the olives, taste, and if necessary, pour out the remaining brine and add salt to taste.
- Sweet pepper: 2 pieces
- Pitted olives: 1 jar
- Ground black pepper: to taste
- Ground paprika: 1 teaspoon
- Sea salt: to taste
7
If the stew seems not thick enough, dissolve a tablespoon of starch or flour in half a glass of cold water, mix well to avoid lumps, and pour it in a thin stream while constantly stirring into the barely boiling stew (this is very important! If you pour it into boiling broth, you won't be able to track the thickness level, and your wonderful stew will turn into an unappetizing jelly).
- Chopped parsley: to taste
8
Serve hot, garnished with chopped parsley and whole olives.
- Pitted olives: 1 jar