Mood Beef (Portuguese Beef Stew)

Submitted by Krystal-Belle

"This is another Emeril's mom (Hilda) recipe. Great way to make a thick and hearty beef stew. An excellent all-in-one meal!"

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 15mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 1⁄4 cup olive oil
• 1 1⁄2 lbs beef round steak, cut into thin strips
• 1 1⁄4 teaspoons salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 2 green peppers, cut into thin strips
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 (35 ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes, crushed with your hands, with their juice
• 1 1⁄2 cups water
• 1 bay leaf
• 1⁄2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 cup ditalini
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

directions

1. In a Dutch oven or heavy skillet heat the olive oil over high heat.
2. Season the beef with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the black pepper.
3. Saute the beef, in batches if necessary so that the pan is not crowded, until well-browned on all sides, about 4 minutes. Transfer the beef to a plate and set aside.
4. Add the onion and green peppers to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and caramelized around the edges, about 6 minutes.
5. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
6. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
7. Add the tomatoes, water, bay leaf, crushed red pepper and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt.
8. Return the beef to the pan and bring the sauce to a boil.
9. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, partially covered, for 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is very tender.
10. Add the ditalini to the gravy and cook until tender, about 25 minutes.
11. Add the parsley. Serve immediately.

Reviews

[Sunny In Florida]

This is very similar to a recipe my mom used to make. Flavors were great and just spicy enough for us. Flavors blended nicely. My DH and I both loved it. Served in large bowls over whole potatoes cooked in with the meat, this was comfort to the max!

 

[Derf2440]

Delicious with a wonderful zing ! spicy and garlicy , loved it!! I left out the pasta and served it over a baked potato. It turned cold here today and this stew really hit the spot! Lovely combination of flavours. I cut the recipe in half and it was still a lot for two people. Thanks for postig a keeper.

 

[Sageca]

We loved it! I made it in my slow cooker and I used beef broth instead of plain water;came out perfect! This is a one pot meal that I will make again. I made this for WT5; thanks for posting.

 

[joycea112]

One more thing... as in everything in life, there are several ways in which to make this dish. Pasta is not one of the authentic ways. Traditional and authentic Portuguese cooking doesn't call for pasta in our dishes. Close to Italy, but not close enough. This is a stew dish, and goes very well with a crusty Portuguese roll on the side. It's mainly slow-stewed beef chunks, potato chunks, Portuguese oil and spices, onion, and maybe some red kidney or white beans. Favas also go well in this stew, but don't add too many, as they are large beans and expand when cooked. A woman I know also adds some tomato chunks and Portuguese green olives. Nice touch. The trick to this stew is to cook it in a very slow pot on top of the stove, not in the oven.

 

[realbirdlady]

A easy recipe for a complete meal (as long as you remember to start early). After browning the beef, I had more beef juice than oil left, so I had to restart with more oil to be able to caramelize the peppers and onions. The flavor overall is bland for our taste, so I added a little more garlic, parsley, and black pepper.