Cuban Style Lamb Stew Recipes

CUBAN BEEF STEW

Steps:

• In a large saute pan, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic in oil, stirring frequently, until transparent. Stir in cubed meat, and cook until browned. Stir in red bell pepper, bay leaf, cumin, and oregano; cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Stir in sherry, tomato sauce, vinegar, olives, raisins, and capers. Pour in enough water to just cover meat. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low, and cover. Simmer until fork tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Add more water if the stew becomes too thick.
• Stir potatoes into the stew. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, covered, until potatoes are almost tender. Uncover, and cook until done.

SPANISH-STYLE LAMB STEW

Steps:

• Warm oil in a large heavy-bottom pot with a lid or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, sprinkle lamb generously with salt and pepper and cook in batches to avoid overcrowding, turning once or twice, until each piece is well browned all over, about 15 minutes total. Transfer pieces to a plate as they brown.
• Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat and add onions, bell pepper, garlic and a generous sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions and peppers are softened, about 5 minutes. Add pimentón and stir for a minute. Stir in tomatoes, breaking them into bite-size pieces and scraping browned bits from the pot. Add wine, chicken stock, vinegar and bay leaves and bring just to a boil.
• Return lamb to pot and reduce heat so mixture is bubbling very gently. Partly cover pot and cook, stirring every 20 minutes or so, until lamb is very tender, about 2 hours. Discard bay leaves. Stir in beans and cook another 10 minutes to heat them through. Stir in parsley and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

CLASSIC CUBAN-STYLE PICADILLO

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook and stir garlic, onion, and green bell pepper in the hot oil until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Crumble ground beef into the skillet; cook and stir until browned completely, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Stir olives, raisins, capers, tomato sauce, sazon seasoning, cumin, sugar, and salt through the ground beef mixture.
• Cover the skillet, reduce heat to low, and cook until the mixture is heated through, 5 to 10 minutes.

POTAJE DE GARBANZOS (CUBAN GARBANZO BEAN STEW)

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a medium heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, green pepper, Sazón seasoning, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few cracks of freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly darker in color and thickened, about 1 minute. Add the vino seco to deglaze the pan, scraping any browned bits with a wooden spoon.
• Add the garbanzo beans, potatoes, chorizo and 5 cups of water. Turn the heat up to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, then cover the pot and simmer until the potatoes are tender and the chickpeas are very soft, about 20 minutes. Once the potatoes have softened, use the back of a wooden spoon to crush some of them against the side of the pot to thicken the stew. Serve the stew over hot rice, if desired.

LAMB STEW/ESTOFADO DE CORDERO

Steps:

• Heat large Dutch oven and add oil. When very hot add lamb, onion, garlic, celery, carrots. Mix together well and sauté for about 10 minutes, until lamb is browned.
• Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, white wine, and 1/2 cup traditional roux. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer until lamb is tender 1.5 to 2 hours. Serve in bowl with crusty bread.
• Make Traditional Roux: Melt butter in small saucepan. Blend in flour with a whisk and stir over low heat until flour is browned. Add the beef stock, bring to a boil and whisk 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer another 30 minutes, continuing to stir.

CUBAN-STYLE LAMB STEW

Steps:

• Place the flour, seasoning salt and black pepper in a medium bowl; toss slightly to combine.
• Prepare a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot.
• Add in oil to cover bottom of the pot over medium-high heat.
• Coat the lamb cubes with flour (shake off any excess flour) then brown in hot oil in two batches; transfer the browned lamb to a plate.
• Add in the onion and cook for about 4-5 minutes, then add in garlic, cook for 1 minute.
• Add in carrots, celery, mushrooms (if using) brown sugar, thyme, crushed red pepper flakes and spices; cook stirring for 2 minutes.
• Add in wine, broth and browned lamb; mix to combine.
• Simmer, covered for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally until thickened and the lamb is very tender.
• Season with salt to taste and more black pepper if desired.