Isabel Allende’s In the Midst of Winter begins with Lucia, a displaced academic from Chile, making her comforting Chilean stew – cazuela – while a snow storm closes the streets outside her basement apartment. Read the review by clicking on the link – here. I wondered if her stew resembles Julia Child’s famous beef bourguignon, and went searching for a recipe. I found this one from Pilar Hernandez who notes:
“Chilean cazuela is a very flexible homemade stew- you can use lamb, chicken or pork in the recipe, but the classic version is made with beef. In each dish you can’t forget to put at least one small piece of meat, a potato, a slice of pumpkin and a portion of corn on the cob, if in season…”
Ingredients
- 1 lb. beef brisket
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 onion, cut into quarters
- 1 bell pepper cut into quarters with the seeds removed
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt and pepper
- One celery stalk
- 2 ears of corn, cut into thirds
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut into thirds
- 6 small red potatoes, peeled
- 4 handfuls of rice
- 6 small pieces of pumpkin
- 1 handful of green beans, julienned
- 5-6 cups boiling water
Cut the meat into six portions. Pre-heat the vegetable oil in a large pot. Braise the meat for three minutes on each side, and add the onion, seasonings, salt and pepper. Mix well and cook for five minutes.
Place the potatoes, carrots, celery and pumpkin in the pot. Completely cover the contents with boiling water-about five or six cups and cook for ten minutes. Next incorporate the rice and corn; let simmer for eight minutes. Finally, mix-in the green beans and cook for three more minutes. Sample the stew and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Serve hot with one piece of meat, one potato, one piece of pumpkin and a portion of corn in each dish of stew.
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