Argentinean Beef Stew

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         FOOD FUNNY
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Here's a head-scratcher from Rosemary Zwick:

A father is explaining ethics to his son, who is about to open a grocery
business with a partner. "Suppose a woman comes in and buys $100 of
various types of food items. She pays you with a $100 bill, but as she
goes out the door you realize she’s given you two $100 bills. Now,
here’s where the ethics come in: should you or should you not tell your partner?"

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         TODAY'S RECIPE
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Readers who have been with me for a while might recall that when I was
10 years old my family moved to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay (it's
the one just below Brazil and just above Argentina). We spent about five
years there and had the good fortune to visit Buenos Aires a couple of
dozen times. There we discovered this traditional Argentinean dish and
it has been a family favorite ever since.

You can basically use your favorite recipe for beef stew with the
addition of the peaches and corn on the cob and served in the pumpkin
shell as described below. Whatever you do, don't omit the peaches. They
make this dish unique and add a wonderful dimension of sweetness.

Argentinean Beef Stew (Carbonada Criolla)

3 Tbs (45 ml) butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 lb (700 g) tender beef, cut in cubes
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 white potatoes, peeled and diced
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cups beef broth, consomme, or red wine
8 peach halves (fresh or canned)
4 ears of corn on the cob, cut into 1-inch (2 cm) pieces
1 6 to 8 lb (3 to 4 kg) pumpkin, top removed and seeds and membranes removed

Heat the butter in a large, heavy pot over moderate heat. Add the garlic
and onion and cook for 5 minutes, until tender but now browned. Add the
tomatoes, pepper, beef, salt and pepper and let cook for 15 minutes,
stirring occasionally. Add the potatoes and sweet potatoes and broth or
wine. Stir and lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring
occasionally and adding more liquid if necessary. Add the peach halves
and the corn and simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Meanwhile, butter
the rim of the pumpkin and salt and pepper the inside liberally. Place
in a large oven proof serving dish and bake in a 350F (180C) oven for 20
to 30 minutes, until the flesh is tender but still firm and still offers
resistance to a fork. Do not allow the pumpkin to become too soft or it
will collapse. Fill the pumpkin with the stew and serve immediately,
including some of the cooked pumpkin with each portion.
Hint: I recommend you bake and serve the pumpkin in the same dish to avoid
breaking the pumpkin by handling it, and in a dish large enough to hold
the stew in case the pumpkin bursts.
Serves 6 to 8.
Received on Mon Nov 26 19:03:56 2007