Stewing Meat: Morcillo

I needed to make a simple dish (easy [lazy]) and had some parameters that limited what I could use for ingredients (low carb, fat, salt etc). And besides, it's hot out and I don't want to spent much time in the kitchen (35 C [95 degrees F] in the garden today).

Simple Beef Stew

Ingredients:

• 1 kg beef; stewing meat; trimmed and cut into small cubes
• 2 red onions (julienne)
  
• 1 white onion (julienne)
  
• 4 cloves garlic (chopped)
  
• 3 carrots (halved, the long way)
  
• 2 T dry sherry
• 2 T sweet sherry
• 1/2 c veal stock (beef broth)
  
• 1 Boldo leaf (or laurel)
• 1 T sage
  
• water
  
• pepper
• salt (very little)
  

Procedure:

1. Start with a whole piece of stewing beef (not pre-cut at the store) and trim off the fat, grissle and silvery parts. This can remove up to 25% of the weight of the beast - but gives you a lean result (very healthy) that's got no nasty bits in the final dish.
2. Oven to 190C (375 F) (you need it later)
   
3. Oil in an ovenproof pan; just to barely coat the bottom (less if you're using non-stick; although stainless steel gives the best result)
   
4. On top of the stove, brown the meat; the pieces should be just barely touching in the (hot) pan. Do it in a couple of batches if you have to. Brown it until the meat's well colored and the liquids that the process produces are more or less cooked away.
• This is an important step that professionals do better than typical home cooks. Be patient; it takes time to brown the meat well.
  
• Set browned meat aside
5. Saute the onions (I mixed red and white/yellow - I don't know why)
• Until starting to get soft (this too takes some time [10 minutes maybe])
6. The onions will start taking up the residual stuff left over from browning the meat
   
7. Add garlic and cook that a little too
8. Push the onions to the edges , add dry sherry to the center and flamé a little (mine failed to burn properly; I should have prewarmed the sherry instead of just pouring it into the pan). This step is to help clean residues from the bottom of the pan (deglaze).
   
9. Add sweet sherry (this is for flavor) (no flames here)
   
10. Add carrots (no particular cooking needed) [these are for flavor more than anything else)
    
11. Add back the meat
12. Pepper generously
13. Add veal stock (for flavour)
14. Plus boldo leaf (if you can find it [a great alternative to laurel])
15. Plus sage
16. Water to almost cover the meat
17. Set heat to high and bring the liquids just barely to a bubble (don't boil; it makes the meat tough)
18. Into the oven for 3 hours - check/stir every hour or so (I left it uncovered)
• I let it get fairly thick, but not dry

Done

Notes:

1. It comes down to this being a recipe of Meat, Onions, Garlic, Carrots and some flavoring
• Cube meat; brown; sauté onions & garlic; add carrots, liquids and spices; cook
  
2. Probably the flambé-ing step should be after the meat is browned. Then reduce that to almost dry before sauté-ing the onions.
   
3. Check for salt / seasoning 1/2 way through the cooking; once the liquid's reduced somewhat
   
4. Boldo leafs are stronger than Laurel - use a 1/2 to 1/3 as much
   

= End =