The Spanish stew that warms the heart

This recipe for beef stew is a classic in Spain and very easy to prepare. Besides getting the desired flavor, and that each person prepares it in a slightly different way, much of the success of this recipe lies in using tender beef. But a good sauce prepared with vegetables is important too. You have also the variation from Pamplona, made with bull. Shall we get started?

Ingredients for the beef stew recipe:

  • 500 g of beef cut into bite-size cubes
  • 1 onion
  • 1 leek
  • 1 carrot
  • 2 potatoes
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 200 ml of tomato paste/sauce
  • 1 tablespoon of parsley
  • 1 tablespoon of flour
  • 250 ml of white wine
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 pinch of black pepper
  • olive oil
  • salt

How to prepare it:

  1. Chop the onion, garlic and leek into very small pieces. Also peel the carrot and cut it into slices, as well as the potatoes (cut with a twist of the wrist so that they break a little).
  2. Put the pot on a medium heat with a little oil and add the beef cubes together with a little salt once it is hot. Let them cook and when they are golden move them a little bit. Set them aside.
  3. In that same pot, add the onion, garlic, leek and carrots. Sauté them for about 10 minutes on a low heat.
  4. Add the tomato paste/sauce. Sauté for one minute.
  5. Then, add the meat to the pot and add a tablespoon of flour. Stir for two minutes.
  6. Add the wine and turn up the heat so that the alcohol evaporates. It will take a couple of minutes. Scratch the base of the pot a little, as the wine helps everything that may have stuck to it to come loose and thus its flavour will be part of the stew.
  7. Cover the ingredients with water. If you have homemade vegetable or meat stock you can use it instead.
  8. Cover the pot and let it cook for about 1 and a half hours, which is when the meat gets tender (you can taste it to make sure). At this point, add the potatoes and keep cooking the stew for 20 more minutes or until the potatoes are also tender, and if you need more liquid do not hesitate to add water or stock so that it does not get dry.
  9. With the potatoes and beef already cooked, uncover the pot and let it reduce a little bit by turning up the heat for 5-10 minutes if you want the sauce to be thicker. And that’s it, you have your heartwarming beef stew ready!

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