Chilean Beef Stew

Chilean stew is hearty, delicious and cheap. If you are a bread baker, try them with Marraquetas, one of Chile’s most popular breads. Enjoy with Chilean bread, like the marraqueta rolls, pictured above.

Ingredients

• oil or butter for frying

• 1 large sweet onion, sliced

• 2 pounds stewing beef

• 2 tbsp corn starch
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• 1 tsp cumin

• 2 tsp oregano

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1/2 tsp black pepper
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• 8 medium potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped (I find any kind of potato works, and I don’t always peel them

• 3 large carrots
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• 1 can tomato paste (156 mL)

• 2 cups beef broth, stock, or water

• 1/2 cup red wine

Instructions

1. heat oil on medium high heat in a large, heavy pot and add onions

2. sauté onions until translucent, remove, and set aside

3. toss beef cubes in corn starch and add to pot

4. fry rotating the beef as the sides become brown and crispy

5. add cumin, oregano, paprika & pepper, stir

6. add potatoes & carrots, stir

7. add tomato paste, beef broth, and red wine, stir

8. cover and turn heat down to medium

9. cook for 45 minutes to an hour, until meat and potatoes are tender

10. serve hot

This warm, hearty soup is associated with San Juan, the longest night of the year.

In the southern hemisphere the winter solstice typically occurs between June 20th and 23rd (naturally coinciding with the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere.

I spent a year in Chile and one of the things I brought back with me is this (pictured) Mapuche carving. The Mapuche in a populous Indigenous group found around South America, but common in central Chile.

San Juan is an tradition imported from Spain, but the Mapuche traditions are also integrated into Chilean culture.