Nearly every Portuguese family has a carne guisada: the everyday beef stew that solves Sunday lunch, feeds unexpected guests and improves overnight in the fridge. This version marinates the beef in wine and garlic, then simmers it with paprika and bay until the sauce thickens around potatoes, carrots and peas.
It is one-pot cooking with deep roots: the refogado of onion and olive oil as the foundation, wine instead of water wherever possible, and patience while the pot does the work.
Serve it with white rice or crusty bread, and do not skip the marinating step — twenty minutes of prep buys you hours of flavor.
Portuguese Beef Stew Recipe
What you need
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds stewing beef, cubed
- 1½ pounds small potatoes
- 7 oz peas
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1¼ cups white wine
- Scant ½ cup (7 tablespoons) tomato pulp
- 3½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1 beef bouillon cube
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig parsley
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Cook along
Instructions
- Season the cubed beef with the chopped garlic, white wine, salt and pepper, and let it marinate while you prep.
- Cook the chopped onion in the olive oil in a large pot until golden.
- Add the tomato pulp, paprika, bay leaf, parsley and the drained beef. Stir and cook about 5 minutes.
- Pour in the marinade, 4 cups of water and the bouillon cube, and cook about 25 minutes.
- Add the sliced carrots, the potatoes and the peas.
- Cook about 40 minutes more, until everything is tender and the sauce has thickened.
WhatsApp Channel
Healthy Mediterranean recipes, straight to your phone
No groups, no clutter — just healthy Mediterranean recipes, sent as soon as they're ready. Follow the channel and never miss the next one.
Follow the ChannelEnjoy our recipes? Add Maria’s Cookbook as a preferred source on Google to see more of our content in your search results.
