It was the kind of morning when you could not fail.
Photography by Sam Armocido
Today was the perfect day for this stew. Despite my earnest promise, earlier in the week, of a crisp, clear fall day, we woke to gusty rain. Jason and I set off to Eastern Market and started cooking. I offer my sincere thanks to those of you who stood out in the rain, huddled under umbrellas, waiting 45 minutes from the first wafts of rich, beefy goodness until steaming bowls of hearty stew were served up hot!
When I came across the inspiration recipe for this stew, I was excited, but the results were disappointing. The pumpkin was flat and grassy. The beef? Barely there. Roasting the pumpkin and a homemade beef stock would solve the problem, as would slowly cooking the stew for three hours. However, while well worth the effort, the average weeknight doesn't afford me the twelve hours a good beef stock requires. How to speed this up?
Carrots added along with the squash brought out the pumpkin's sweetness and a splash of cider vinegar brightened it up. Brandy, and miso paste added depth to the beef flavor, while butter - good, rich, creamy, grassy, farm-fresh butter - gave the soup the richness it needed.
And with that, I have rich, hearty, flavorful, complex and comforting beef and pumpkin stew ready in 45 minutes flat.
Beef and Pumpkin Stew
Serves 6
How to make a rich, hearty-textured, fully-flavored beef and pumpkin stew in under an hour? Wrap quicker cooking sirloin for tough stew beef, use sweet carrot to highlight the flavor of the pumpkin and build a complex flavor base with miso paste and Brandy. Trust me, you won’t miss the other two hours of cooking time!
Photography by Sam Armocido
Ingredients:
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 1/2 lbs top sirloin, cut into 1" cubes
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs dark miso paste
1/2 cup Brandy or Cognac
1 large carrot, cut in 1/4” dice
4 cups Fairytale or other eating pumpkin - or 1 medium butternut squash - cut in 1" cubes
6-8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
6 thyme sprigs
2 bay leaves
Cider vinegar
1-2 tbs butter
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Directions:
Heat a 6-8 quart heavy-bottomed stock pot or dutch oven over med-high heat. Add oil and heat until almost smoking. Cook beef in 2-3 batches, seasoning lightly with salt and pepper. Sear until brown. Remove beef to a bowl and reserve. The beef juices will brown on the bottom of your pot. Don't worry, this is pure flavor!
Reduce heat to medium and add onion to pot, cook until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add miso paste and carrot. Toss and cook 1 minute longer. Add Brandy and deglaze, scraping up the rich brown bits off the bottom of the pot while the liquid bubbles and reduces.
Add squash, thyme, bay leaf, reserved beef and stock just to cover the ingredients. Simmer until squash is soft, about 30 minutes.
Using an old-fashioned potato masher or a fork, mash about half of the squash and stir through the soup to thicken.
Season to taste with a splash of vinegar, a pat of butter, and salt and pepper as needed. Serve sprinkled with parsley.
