Recipe: Spanish Beef Stew

Adventures in Eating: Spanish Beef Stew
By Rosemarie February 1982

With the holidays safely behind us, are you ready to start cooking again? I hope so. The best of what is available in restaurants cannot measure up to a home cooked meal, both in flavor and cost.

I think you will find the following hearty Spanish Beef Stew a tasty change of pace. The Malbec this month will work excellent in this rec­ipe. For a hotter stew, just add a dash of red pepper. Serve with a crusty French bread, butter, sliced cheddar cheese and a salad. This stew really gains flavor when reheated. A hint: look for the marbled pieces of stew beef or ask the butcher for that cut. It is so much more tender.

SPANISH BEEF STEW

3 slices bacon, diced
1/2 cup red wine
1 lb. beef chuck, cut in small cubes
1 tsp. salt, pepper to taste
2 small cloves garlic, crushed
1/3 cup sliced, pimento stuffed olives
1 large onion, sliced
2 Tbl. chopped parsley
1/2 tsp. each paprika, curry powder
4 medium potatoes, pared and quartered
3 medium tomatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 tsp. each sage, marjoram
2 Tbl. wine vinegar
1 small bay leaf, crumbled
3/4 cup beef broth or bouillon

Towards the end of cooking, add other vegetables if you prefer. Saute bacon, garlic and onion in large heavy saucepan 5 minutes. Remove from pan. Put beef in pan and cook over low heat until browned on all sides. Return bacon, garlic and onion to pan; add seasonings, tomatoes, vine­gar, broth, wine and salt. Cover remaining in­gredients and continue cooking 40 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Serve with the remaining Malbec wine, and notice the difference it makes when you cook with the same wine you choose to serve with a meal.

Bon appetit!

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