This spicy beef stew with carrots and tomatoes is perfect for warming you up on a cold day. The combination of harissa and cayenne with other aromatic spices including turmeric, ginger, and cumin creates the ultimate spicy beef stew.
How to Make this Spicy Beef Stew with Carrots and Tomatoes:
This beef stew is tremendously simple to prepare. Start by browning the beef. You want to brown the beef in batches so that a beautiful golden crust can form on the cubes.
After the beef has browned, cook the aromatics for a few minutes. Next, you’ll add the paste – both harissa and tomato – and lightly mash it into the bottom of the pot until the pastes begin to deepen in color. Throw in some flour and let it cook for about a minute.
From there, it’s just a matter of adding the beef broth and whisking it until the flour is completely incorporated into the broth. Next, add a can of whole-peeled tomatoes, season the stew with your spices and then add the carrots and beef to the pot.
After that’s done, you can kick your feet up and relax because the hard part is over! Let the beef stew do its thing – covered – on the stove for about an hour and a half. You will want to stir occasionally to keep it from sticking. If it seems like you need more liquid, throw in a splash of stock or water.
Serve the stew with roughly chopped celery leaves and, if you like, a drizzle of heavy cream. That’s it! It’s easy as pie..er..stew.
Looking for more stew recipes? Check my archives!
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Spicy Beef Stew with Carrots and Tomatoes
Equipment
- Wide braising pot or soup pot
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon neutral cooking oil
- 2 pounds chuck roast cut into cubes
- 4 celery stalks a few leaves reserved for garnish
- 2 medium onions peeled
- 2 tablespoons harissa paste
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ¼ cup flour
- 4 large carrots trimmed, scrubbed and cut into thirds
- 3-4 cups beef stock
- 1 28- ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Cayenne powder to taste
- ½ teaspoon celery salt
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Heavy cream optional, for serving
- Olive oil for browning the beef
Instructions
Prepare the Aromatics:
- Add the onion and celery stalks (with leaves) to a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Remove some additional celery leaves from the stalk and mince and reserve for garnish.
Brown the beef:
- Pat the beef dry and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot or braising pan. Once very hot, brown the beef in batches. Cook the beef cubes for 3-5 minutes on each side until well browned and crisping up around the edges. Note: If there seems to be a lot of excess oil in the pot, you can drain it off, but don't remove anything stuck to the bottom of the skillet.
Start the Stew:
- Add the celery and onions to the hot pot and cook for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the harissa paste and tomato paste and cook for 3-5 minutes or until the paste starts to turn a deeper red color. Add the flour and stir to coat everything in the pot and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the beef stock and reduce heat to medium low and whisk continuously until the flour is completely incorporated into the liquid and the broth is smooth. Add the can of tomatoes and their liquid.
- Add the cumin, paprika, ground ginger, garlic powder, cayenne powder to taste and celery salt. Season with salt and pepper.
- Carefully add the beef and the carrots and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook for at least 1 hour 30 minutes, stirring occasionally throughout cooking.
Finish the Stew:
- Taste the stew and season to your liking. Use a spoon to lightly mash some of the tomatoes to break them up a bit.
Shred the Beef:
- Remove the beef cubes from the pot and transfer to a bowl and lightly shred the meat and return it back to the pot. Note: You do not have to completely shred the beef; simply break apart some of the cubes. You will want a mix of some shredded and some cubed beef throughout the stew.
To Serve:
- Ladle a few spoonfuls of the stew between bowls. Sprinkle a few minced celery leaves on top and drizzle with heavy cream, if desired. Enjoy!
