Brazilian recipe
Beef Stew with Pumpkin and Collard Greens (Ensopado de carne)
A comforting Brazilian beef stew with chuck, Japanese pumpkin and collard greens, built on a well-seared base and a rich broth.
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Ingredients
1 kg chuck beef
400 g Japanese pumpkin, cut into 3 cm cubes, about 3 teacups
7 collard green leaves
1/3 teacup diced bacon, about 50 g, optional
2 onions
2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 teacups hot water
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 pinch sugar
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
400 g Japanese pumpkin, cut into 3 cm cubes, about 3 teacups
7 collard green leaves
1/3 teacup diced bacon, about 50 g, optional
2 onions
2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 teacups hot water
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 pinch sugar
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Where to find ingredients
Chuck beef, bacon and collard greens can be found at butchers, supermarkets and produce markets. Japanese pumpkin may be sold as kabocha; use that name when asking.
Preparation method
- Cut the chuck beef into 3 cm cubes
- Place the beef in a bowl and season with 1 teaspoon salt, the cumin and black pepper
- Mix well so every piece is seasoned, then leave at room temperature while you prepare the other ingredients
- Chop the onions into 2 cm cubes
- Finely chop the garlic
- Heat the water in a kettle
- Place a pressure cooker over medium heat
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and brown the beef in batches so the pan does not cool down and the cubes brown well
- Remove the seared beef and set aside in a bowl, repeating with the remaining beef and adding a little more olive oil if needed
- In the same pan, add 1 teaspoon olive oil and fry the bacon until it begins to release its fat
- Sauté the onion with a pinch of salt and sugar for about 5 minutes until lightly caramelised
- Stir in the garlic, cinnamon and bay leaves for 1 minute
- Pour in the vinegar and scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to loosen the tasty browned bits
- Add the hot water, return the beef to the pan and adjust with 1 teaspoon salt
- Close the cooker and raise the heat
- When it starts to whistle, lower the heat and cook for 25 minutes
- Prepare the collard greens by washing the leaves, removing the stems and tearing them into 4 cm pieces
- After the cooking time, turn off the heat and carefully release the pressure under running water
- Open the cooker, add the pumpkin and mix gently
- Close it again and place over high heat
- Once pressure is reached, lower the heat and count 1 minute
- Turn off the heat and release the pressure again under running water
- Finish by adding the collard greens, which will cook in the residual heat of the stew
- Serve immediately, making sure the broth carries the lightly broken-down pumpkin
Observations
This stew is hearty enough for a family meal and still bright from the pumpkin and greens. The key is browning the beef in batches, then lifting the flavour from the pot with vinegar and hot water before pressure-cooking.
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