Andalusian Beef Stew (Estofado de Buey a la Andaluza)

I'm on a bit of an Iberian kick lately, which is both good (it's tasty and mostly good for you) and not helpful (most of my recipes are for dishes more suited for colder weather). This stew was excellent last Friday night when it was rainy and damp.

We had it with homemade herb bread, recipe to follow, and a Spanish red (duh). It makes quite a bit; I'll have lunch for a few days.

Adapted from My Kitchen in Spain, by Janet Mendel

2-3 pounds stewing beef, cut into 1" cubes
1 onion, sliced
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
2 T olive oil
1 c water
2 t better-than-bouillon concentrate (or substitute beef broth for the water + concentrate)
1/2 c dry sherry or vermouth
2 large bay leaves
a pinch of cloves
1/4 t cinnamon
a generous pinch of saffron threads, crushed
2 t salt
1 whole head garlic, roasted and peeled
2 carrots, sliced
4 large potatoes, peeled and diced

In a stew pot, combine the beef, onion, tomato, oil, sherry/vermouth, water, bouillon. Bring to a boil and add the bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, saffron, and salt. Add roasted garlic. Cover and simmer very slowly until the meat is almost tender, about 1 hour.

Add the sliced carrots and the potatoes. Cover and simmer for another 30 minutes, adding more water if necessary, until the meat and potatoes are very tender. Note: my liquid did not quite cover all the solid ingredients and it worked out fine. Add salt and white pepper to taste before you're done simmering.

Remove the bay leaves. The liquid will not thicken, so serve in soup bowls.