Mary's Portuguese Beef Stew

Amarante

Wed, May 25 2016, 1:54 pm

Mary's Portuguese Beef Stew

This was a nice variation on beef stew. As true of most Stews even better the next day and freezes well. Notes are from cookbook.

Source: Michele Anna Jordan. “California Home Cooking.

Mary Rosa Grul grew up in a large Portuguese family in Stockton, east of San Francisco near the Sacramento Delta. She's a great cook who lets the look, feel, and aroma of the ingredients guide her through the preparation of a dish. She never writes down a recipe, and if she forgets an ingredient or a technique, she simply calls her mother or her aunt, the family's best cooks.

SERVES 4 TO 6

1 teaspoon whole cloves
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
3 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
3 pounds lean beef, cut into chunks
Kosher salt
Black pepper in a mill
¾ cup canned or homemade tomato sauce
¼ cup minced onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup white wine
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
½ head green cabbage, cored and shredded
1 loaf of country style bread

“Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Place the cloves, cumin, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick in a cheesecloth bag, tie it closed, and set it aside.
Season the beef with salt and pepper and place it in a heavy roasting pan. In a small bowl, mix together the tomato sauce, onion, garlic, wine, ground cinnamon, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Pour the mixture over the meat. Add the spice bag, and cover the roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 2¼ hours. Add the cabbage, cover tightly again, and continue to cook until the meat is completely fork tender, about 45 minutes more.
Remove the stew from the oven and remove and discard the spice bag. Cut the bread into ¾-inch slices, place a slice or two in individual serving dishes, and top the bread with stew. Serve immediately.”