Recipe
How to make my great-grandmother's Puertorrican beef stew
Although I love New York and its extraordinary cuisine, I find myself missing my food back home in Puerto Rico all the time. I lived there for a large portion of my life, and Caribbean food is something that every one should try once in their life. Puertorrican food is Criollo, so its food has a strong Spanish influence, but with a little island twist given that Puerto Rico was once a Spanish colony.
A food that I feel embodies Puerto Rico is carne guisada, or beef stew. Although beef stew is not specific to Puerto Rico, it is a dish that can vary greatly from country to country. I do not know if it is because my great grandmother used to make it as frequent as possible, but this dish feels like home. Carne guisada is one of those dishes that incorporates many flavors in a harmonious way, and the dish constantly inspires creativity. To give a recipe for this dish does not do it justice because I find myself adding an ingredient every time I make it, which is yet another reason why I love this dish!
Before we begin this recipe, I wanted to inform the cook that since it is a family recipe, measurements are not really to the book. I estimated how much I use, but if there's a different measurement that feels better to use for all the cooks out there, I encourage it.
The Vazquez Puertorrican Beef Stew Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 1 hr
- Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins
- Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 2 pds beef chunks
- 1 white onion
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 red bell pepper
- smoked cooking ham
- 1 packet Sazon
- 1 beef broth cube
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery
- 2 red potatoes
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 4 leaves Recao/Culantro
- 2 tsp Spanish green olives
- 1/4 cup tomato sauce
- Seasoning: Adobo
- Optional: Red cooking wine
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6
Step 7
Step 8
Step 9
There you have it! We have officially made my great-grandmother's Puertorrican beef stew recipe. A side dish that would perfectly accompany this dish is white rice. They blend beautifully together, and as soon as I take a bite, I am transported back to my home in Puerto Rico!
Enjoy!