Puerto Rican Style Stew Beef

I absolutely love beef stews. They are hearty and delicious, and a good batch of stew can be eaten for several meals. While in soul food, it is traditional to eat stew beef with brown gravy, this style of stew beef is also popular, particularly in places with large Caribbean populations. Growing up in Brooklyn, Puerto Rican food was a popular weeknight dinner option for my family. The corner store nearest my house would make the most amazing stew beef, served over yellow rice with a buttered bread roll. Those memories inspired me to try my hand in recreating that meal.

This stew has notes of tomato and a fragrant taste that can only be provided through green sofrito. The long simmer time allows the flavors to deepen and mature into a beautiful dish that is hearty, but not heavy. The fork tender beef melts in your mouth. While I am not Puerto Rican, I have such a deep respect and admiration for this cuisine and its bold flavors. This dish will be a big favorite in the house, even with the kids.

Stew Beef (Puerto Rican Style)

Yield: 8 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 2 hrs, 45 mins

Ingredients

4-5 lbs stew beef cubes (or a beef roast, cut into ½ inch cubes
1 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup sofrito
1 tbsp Sazon, or 3 packets
1 yellow onion, sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
32 oz beef broth
2 Bay leaves
2 tsp dried thyme, or 4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tsp dried oregano, or 2 sprigs fresh oregano
1 cup baby carrots
2 Russet potatoes, cut into ½ in chunks
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp seasoned salt
Kosher salt and black pepper

Directions

1. Season meat with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven.
2. Sear beef on all sides until brown. You may have to sear meat in batches, to ensure a hard sear. Remove from pot and set aside.
3. In beef drippings, saute onions, garlic, and sofrito until onions begin to soften.
4. Add beef pieces back to pot. Season with Sazon and mix well. Let cook 1 minute.
5. Add beef broth, thyme, oregano, and seasoned salt. Bring to a boil.
6. Stir in tomato paste and bay leaves, then reduce heat to medium-low. Top Dutch oven and let cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
7. Add baby carrots and potatoes. Let cook for 30 additional minutes.
8. Serve over rice.

Recipe Tips

• If you find the stew to have a very sharp tomato flavor, cut the acidity with 1-2 tablespoons white sugar.
• Stuffed olives or capers are both good additions to the stew.
• The amount of carrots and potatoes in this recipe produce a very hearty stew. Feel free to adjust the amounts of either to suit your preferences.
• Add 1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper to spice up your stew.