Beef stew with the TOMATO BLEND

Beef Stew with the TOMATO BLEND

Now things are about to get interesting as we start cooking for real. 

A beef stew is made differently depending on where you are from. There are beef stews with potatoes and carrots, beef stews with celery, peas and onions. There are beef stews with butternut squash, beef stews with red wine and beef stews with green bell peppers and there are beef stews that are eaten with bread. However our beef stew will not have any of these. Our only base (and it is a MUST) - is the tomato blend. Our attention will be on the beef today and how we cook the beef is very important. 

My beef of choice is beef shin. Beef shin is beef from the bottom portion of either the front or rear of a cow leg. It has a lot of connective tissue and this tissue breaks down when it is slow cooked through casseroling or braising. Casseroling is when you slow cook by baking while braising is to slow cook by putting the beef in a tightly covered pot that seals in the heat and allows the meat to cook slowly and properly. 

Ingredients 

1 kilo Beef Shin 

A medium Onion

2/3 cloves of Garlic

Salt 

Paprika

Curry powder

Thyme

Beef cubes

Tomato paste

Water

Oil

How to Make

So, this is how we will cook our beef. We will rinse the beef and cut it up into small pieces. (I cut my beef into big pieces because it's a Naija thing 🤪). Put the pieces of beef in a pot, add the onions (chopped) and then add the finely chopped garlic. Next, add some salt (enough that you can taste it without overpowering the beef), then mix everything together thoroughly and switch on the heat. Now, add enough water to cover the beef (not more than 2 inches of water above the beef). Add one teaspoon of curry powder and a teaspoon of thyme and 2 beef cubes.

Fun Fact - Thyme and Curry powder are a MUST in Nigerian beef stews. 

Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and bring the beef to a boil then turn the heat down completely. This is where the magic begins as the beef will begin to cook slowly as the condiments infuse it. Leave the beef to cook for an hour or until the beef is so soft that a fork stuck into the meat can pull away from the meat without any resistance.  

Once the beef is nicely cooked, seperate the beef and the stock into separate bowls and put them aside. Now, put between 3-4 tablespoons of oil in a pot. Once the oil is hot, add 2 tablespoons of diced onion. (To dice is to cut into small blocks). Stir the onions into the oil and once they have caramelized, add 3 cups of tomato blend and stir. Now, let the tomato blend come to a boil and once it does, add half a cup of stock to the blend to season the blend but check that it is not too salty before you add it. (If you do not have enough stock, you can use 1 stock cube to half a cup of warm water). 

Next, add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and let it cook with the mix for about 5 minutes then season with salt if need be. The heat should be turned low. Now, add a teaspoon of curry, a teaspoon of thyme and a teaspoon of Paprika and leave the stew to simmer. After another 5 minutes, add your beef to the stew and keep the heat on low. If the stew is too thick, add a bit of water to loosen it a bit but note that this is not a watery stew. Now, leave the stew to simmer for 25 to 30 minutes and now your beef stew is done but taste for salt first before you serve it. It should taste sweet and savory. 

It can simmer for longer and usually I let my beef stew simmer for a long time because the heat is so low but that's it. This is a delicious stew and I can't wait to hear how it went for you and what you paired it with.