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Epicurious
Gourmet

West Indian Beef Stew

3.3

(18)

Naomi Wagman Kirstein of Danvers, Massachusetts, writes: "I would love to have the recipe for the West Indian beef stew served at The Golden Lemon Inn & Villas on St. Kitts, in the West Indies."

The green olives in this recipe cut the richness of the stew by adding a slightly pungent flavor.<

Cooks' note:

Stew can be made 3 days ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered. Reheat before serving.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 large onions, chopped (2 1/2 cups)
2 green bell peppers, chopped (2 cups)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups water
1 (14-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice, juice reserved and tomatoes chopped
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
2 teaspoons Tabasco
2 teaspoons sugar
3 tablespoons dark rum
10 small pimiento-stuffed green olives, thinly sliced (1/4 cup)
Accompaniment: steamed white rice

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Stir together flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 6-quart wide heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking.

    Step 2

    While oil is heating, dredge one third of beef in flour, shaking off excess, then brown on all sides, about 6 minutes total. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Dredge and brown remaining meat in 2 batches in same manner, adding 1 tablespoon oil per batch and transferring beef as cooked with slotted spoon to bowl.

    Step 3

    Add remaining tablespoon oil to pot and sauté garlic, onions, and bell peppers, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 12 minutes.

    Step 4

    Whisk together tomato paste and water in a small bowl.

    Step 5

    Add tomatoes with reserved juice to onion mixture along with tomato paste mixture, bay leaf, Tabasco, and sugar. Bring to a boil and add beef, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until meat is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours.

    Step 6

    Stir in rum and olives and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes, then season with salt and pepper. Discard bay leaf.

TagsStewSoup/StewCaribbeanBeef ChuckBeefMeatCanned TomatoTomatoVegetableBell PepperOnionRoot VegetableMainDinnerNut FreeDairy FreeOne-Pot MealsMake AheadEasyBraiseDutch OvenWinterGourmet
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