Closet Cooking

Cooking adventures in a small, closet sized, kitchen. - I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.

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Italian Style Beef Stew with Butternut Squash

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Italian Style Beef Stew with Butternut Squash
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While I was eating my squash chili mole I was thinking about what else I could use squash in and I eventually arrived at a beef stew. I had recently made a Japanese style beef stew (nikujaga) using pumpkin so I wanted something a little bit different. I was thinking that an Italian style beef stew would be nice. The first thing I did of course was search the web for recipes and came across this one for a beef and butternut squash stew that sounded like a nice place to start. I felt that an Italian style beef stew would have to contain more tomatoes but I wanted there to be more of a broth than a sauce so I used diced tomatoes with red wine and beef broth to form the base of the stew. To add some more flavour I added some pancetta and browned the beef and sauteed the onions in the pancetta grease instead of olive oil. I like to save the rinds from parmigiano reggiano to throw into sauces to add flavour while simmering and I thought it would work in a broth as well. I wanted to braise the beef until it was nice and tender and since I did not want my squash to be mush I held off on adding it until the meat was almost fully cooked. The Italian style beef stew was a great success! The beef was fall apart in your mouth tender and the squash was nice and al dente; cooked and tender but still having a firm texture. The broth was super flavourful and I did not let any of it go to waste by sopping it up with some cheesy garlic bread .

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Italian Style Beef Stew with Butternut Squash

Italian Style Beef Stew with Butternut Squash

Prep Time:30 minutes Cook Time:10 minutes Total Time:40 minutes Servings: 6
ingredients
  • 2 ounces pancetta (diced)
  • 1 pound beef (cut into 1 inch cubes)
  • 1 onion (chopped)
  • 3 cloves garlic (chopped)
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional, to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon rosemary (chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon thyme (chopped)
  • 1 cup Italian red wine
  • 3 cups beef broth
  • 1 splash balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes (chopped)
  • 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • * parmigiano reggiano rind (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 pound butternut squash (peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch cubes)
  • * parsley (chopped)
directions
  1. Cook the pancetta in a large pan on medium heat.
  2. Add the beef and brown on all sides in the grease from the pancetta and set aside.
  3. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
  4. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, rosemary and thyme and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
  5. Add the wine and deglaze the pan.
  6. Add the beef, broth, balsamic vinegar, sun-dried tomatoes, diced tomatoes, parmigiano reggiano rind, oregano, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
  7. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the beef is nice and tender, about 1-2 hours.
  8. Add the squash and simmer until it is tender, about 15-20 minutes.
Slow Cooker: Implement step 1, optionally implement steps 2-5, place everything except the parsley in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-10 hours or high for 2-4 hours before adding the parsley.
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Similar Recipes:
Nikujaga (Japanese Beef Stew)
Squash Chili Mole
Beef and Barley Stew
Kare (Japanese Curry)
Beef Rendang
Steak and Guinness Pie
Pumpkin and Chicken Tagine
Jamaican Style Jerk Beef Stew
Pot Roast Beef Stroganoff
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. mikky says

    December 10, 2008 at 2:33 am

    hi kevin, you did it again… everything looks so great… the dinner roll, the chicken soup’s so comforting, and the stew, my, just perfect… you are really something… i envy whoever enjoys these meals with you… 🙂

    Reply

  22. Natashya says

    December 10, 2008 at 12:58 pm

    You have some great flavours going on there!
    I am looking at my counter that has 3 different kinds of squash on it and I am thinking “this is all Kevin’s fault!”

    Reply

  33. Paula says

    December 10, 2008 at 10:30 pm

    Oh Yum! Both this stew and your previous post of Chicken Soup are killer! This stew looks very hearty and sounds quite flavorful with the pancetta and balsamic vinegar! That cheesy garlic bread is terrific, too!

    Reply

  39. Anonymous says

    December 10, 2009 at 3:27 am

    This stew taste as delicious as it looks! Just a hint of spice from red pepper flakes, and the wine and balsamic vinegar gave it a unique flare! It was perfect for a cold December evening! I will definitely make again!!!

    Reply

  40. Shell says

    January 1, 2010 at 11:02 am

    I made this dish last night…WOW! I added a couple of things, 1 more cup of wine and whole mushrooms with the squash…it was scrumpdillious! Thanks!

    Reply

  41. Shell says

    January 1, 2010 at 11:05 am

    I made this dish last night..it was great…I added 1 more cup of wine and whole mushrooms with the squash…scrumpdillious!

    Reply

  42. Mike says

    January 4, 2010 at 7:02 pm

    The stew was very good and I would make it again except everyone agreed that the amount of rosemary was excessive. But that down to about a teaspoon and this is a winner. The squash was a great counterpoint.

    Reply

  43. Anonymous says

    January 31, 2011 at 6:09 am

    I loved this stew and the way all the flavors came together. Delicious. I did add some cubed potatoes in the stew which I thought fit perfectly with the stew.

    Reply

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