Spanish beef stew in red wine: tender meat comes from cuts full of connective tissue and an hour of gentle simmering

Stew is a dish nobody believes in until they taste it after an hour on a low flame. The Spanish version, estofado de carne, is made with red wine, carrots and a sauce that thickens almost by itself. The secret is not in the seasoning. The secret is in the choice of meat and in patience.

Which meat to buy

Beef with plenty of connective tissue: shank, neck, cheeks or flank. During long cooking, the collagen in these cuts turns into gelatine, the meat softens and the sauce gains body. Lean, "clean" cuts are not for this dish - they will stay dry. If you prefer pork, go for neck, cheeks or ribs. A leg of lamb cut into pieces is also a good substitute.

Ingredients for 4 servings

• 1 kg beef shank, cut into cubes
• 4 carrots
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 500 ml red wine
• 500 ml beef stock
• chopped tomato
• flour for coating the meat
• olive oil, salt and black pepper
• a few sprigs of fresh rosemary to serve

Method

1. Peel and chop the onion, garlic and carrots.
2. Toss the cubes of meat in flour, season with salt and brown them in batches in a wide pot with olive oil.
3. Take the meat out and set it aside. Add a little more oil to the same pot.
4. Fry the onion, garlic and carrot until soft, then season with salt and pepper.
5. Add the bay leaves and the tomato.
6. Pour in the wine and turn up the heat so the alcohol evaporates.
7. Return the meat, add the stock and leave to simmer gently over a low heat for about an hour.
8. Serve with sprigs of fresh rosemary.

The three mistakes that make meat tough

The first is a pot crammed with meat. If the pieces are packed together they release water and, instead of browning, they boil. That is why the meat is seared in batches, and the flour helps the crust colour and later thickens the sauce. The second is rushing. In an ordinary pot, stew needs at least an hour, but the reward is a more concentrated flavour and a silky sauce. In a pressure cooker it is ready in 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the cut, but the sauce is thinner and usually needs reducing a bit more. The third is the wrong meat, which we have already covered.

If the sauce is thin and you do not want to add more flour, you have three options. Blend some of the cooked vegetables and return them to the pot. Add a piece of fried bread or a few breadcrumbs and blend them with the liquid. Or simply choose cheeks or shank - their collagen thickens the sauce on its own as it cooks slowly.

Better tomorrow

Stew is one of the few dishes that tastes better the next day. A night in the fridge rounds out the flavours, the gelatine spreads through the sauce and melts again when reheated. Serve with white rice, mashed potatoes, roast or fried potatoes, peas or short pasta. Every Balkan kitchen has its own stew and its own grandmother who swears hers is the best. The Spanish add wine - the only question is whether anything will be left for tomorrow.