Estofado De Catalan Recipes

BEEF ESTOFADO

Steps:

• Season the beef and mix with the chilli paste. Heat 1 tbsp oil in an ovenproof pan and fry the beef over a medium-high heat until evenly browned on all sides. You'll need to do this in batches and the pan should be hot enough to ensure the beef does not boil. Remove the beef to a bowl and heat the oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3.
• Turn the heat down to medium, add another 1 tbsp oil and cook the onions and garlic for about 8-10 mins until caramelised. Pour in the beer and scrape up any browned bits using a wooden spoon. Return the beef to the pan and stir well. Add the bay leaves, chopped herbs, spices and dried mint, and slowly cook until the liquid has evaporated. Pour in the stock and bring to a simmer. Cover with a lid and cook in the oven for 1 hr.
• Remove the stew from the oven and continue to cook, uncovered, on the hob over a low heat for 1 hr or until slightly reduced. Add the potatoes and cook for 15-20 mins. Check the beef and potatoes are tender, then remove from the heat and leave to rest, covered.
• Bring a small pan of water to the boil and prepare a bowl of iced water. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water for 20 seconds, then plunge into the cold water using a slotted spoon. Leave to cool, then peel away the skins.
• Stir the ají amarillo paste into the stew and top with the tomatoes, beans and chopped herbs.

ESTOFADO DE CATALAN

Steps:

• To make the short ribs, preheat oven to 300˚. Generously salt and pepper the ribs. In a large casserole pan, heat 4 tablespoons olive oil over high heat. Add the ribs and brown on all sides until golden, about 4-5 minutes. Remove the ribs and set aside. Sauté carrots, celery, onion and garlic in the same pan until well caramelized, about 10-15 minutes. Add red wine and cook over high heat until the red wine is reduced by half. Stir in tomato paste, tomatoes and thyme. Add browned ribs and beef stock. Bring to a boil, cover and bake for approximately 3 hours, or until meat pulls easily away from the bone. A long, slow braise is the key here. Cooking at too high of a temperature will result in a flavorless, tough, stringy meat. It tastes even better if it's made the day before. No rushing necessary! To make the sauce, remove the meat from the pan and set aside. Strain the remaining sauce through a colander, and then through a fine mesh strainer, into a large casserole pan. Add the sherry and reduce the sauce by half. Stir in the chocolate, thyme, marjoram, orange zest and butter. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Return the ribs to the pan an simmer until heated through, approximately 2 minutes. To make the gremolata, mix together parsley and orange zest in a small bowl. To serve, mound 1/2 cup of starch of your choice, such as mashed potatoes in the center of 6 warm shallow bowls. Put 2-3 short ribs on top of the mashed potatoes. Spoon the sauce over the short ribs, and sprinkle with the gremolata.