As Halloween creeps up on us and the spiders are spinning webs throughout the garden, my thoughts turn towards comfort foods and cozy evenings with family and friends. Yesterday I pulled out this old favorite recipe for Transylvanian Stew for the dinner party I had planned before heading off to see the Dell Arte's Macabe Cabaret in the evening.
With shopping list in hand, I walked around the Arcata Farmer's Market in the morning and purchased all the vegetables needed for this delicious hearty stew. Farmer's Market on the weekend before Halloween is always a special treat. You'll find children with faces painted, delicious goodies for Dia De Los Muertos at the Los Bagels stand and of course lots of awesome carved pumpkins at many of the boothes. I then strolled over to the Coop and bought 1.5 pounds of Humboldt Beef stew meat and a bottle of local red wine. I was ready to begin the crispy autumn day in the kitchen.
Transylvanian Stew4 hearty servings or 6 smaller
Ingredients for Stew
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced red onion
2 carrots, grated
2 orange beets, peeled and sliced
4 medium size potatoes, cubed
1 1/2-2 pounds beef stewing meat (cut into 1-inch pieces)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons caraway seeds or fennel seeds
2 cups veggie or beef stock
1 quart tomato sauce
1 large bell pepper, chopped into ½ “squares
3/4 cup red wine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Salt and pepper
Melt butter and heat oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onions and a pinch of kosher salt and cook, stirring, until onions are translucent.
Season beef with salt and freshly ground pepper and toss with flour to coat on all sides. Stir paprika and caraway seeds into onions and simmer, stirring, 30 seconds. Then add the beef to the onion mixture, sauté until meat is browned on all sides.
Add 1/2 cup of the stock, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot as the broth thickens with the floured beef. Gradually stir in the remaining stock. Stir in tomato sauce, grated carrots, sliced beets, potatoes and peppers and bring to a slow simmer. Pour in the wine,cover and cook, occasionally stirring, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours or until beef is very tender. Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper; stir in dill.
Ingredients for Polenta
3 1/2 cups stock or water
1-2 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional
1 1/4 cup polenta
1 cup pumpkin purée. If you want a sweeter version, add cinnamon and nutmeg
pinch of cayenne pepper
Directions for Polenta
Bring stock and butter to a boil then reduce to medium-low heat. When bubbles subside, slowly whisk cornmeal into the hot stock. Continue to stir as the polenta thickens. After 3 minutes whisk in the pumpkin purée, constantly whisking until smooth. Season to taste with kosher salt and cayenne.
1 cup sour cream or 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
Serve stew over pumpkin polenta topped with sour cream or a sharp cheddar cheese.
