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Beef Stew with Cranberries |  |
This is such a quick and easy winter stew recipe, just chunks of beef slow-cooked with onions and cranberry, creating melt-in-your-mouth tender bites of meat, simple enough for a weeknight supper but special enough for company too. Winter Stew with Cranberries is based on an old-fashioned recipe for Swedish Kalops, no wonder it's perfect for cold winter nights!
As the holiday season winds down, it's time to turn to simple foods that can be prepared in a few minutes and then forgotten until hunger strikes at serving time. Whether cooked ahead for a weeknight supper or simmered stovetop for Sunday dinner, Beef Stew with Cranberries fits the bill for easy, filling winter fare.
Swedish cookbooks offer dozens of traditional recipes for Kalops, sometimes anglicized to Callops. Centuries ago, the meat and gravy mixture was served on sailing ships so most recipes call for a generous quantity of allspice or cloves to mask the taste of (ewwww ....) spoiled meat on long voyages.
My delicious variation creates morsels of tender meat in a fruit-sweetened gravy that to my taste is decidedly addictive.
For a traditional Swedish or Finnish meal, serve the stew with boiled potatoes (skins on, of course, either plain or tossed with a little butter and fresh dill), pickled beets and a green salad.
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BEEF STEW with CRANBERRIES
(SWEDISH KALOPS)
Time to table: 2 hours
Makes 6 cups
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 medium onions, chopped (about 2 cups)
- 2 bay leaves
- 16 ounces canned whole-cranberry sauce
- 1/2 - 1 cup water, depending on how much gravy is wanted
Heat the oil in a large, heavy Dutch oven until shimmery. Meanwhile, mix the flour, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the meat pieces and dredge with the flour mixture until lightly coated. Add the meat to the hot oil and cook the meat until it is brown on all sides. Top with remaining ingredients and stir.
STOVETOP Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for at least 90 minutes until meat becomes tender.
OVEN Cover and cook at 200F/100C for 2 hours or until meat becomes tender.
Remove bay leaves before serving.
ALANNA's TIPS Beef Stew with Cranberries easily converts to gluten-free. Instead of using flour to thicken the gravy, use yellow cornmeal. Works like a charm! Not into canned cranberry?
WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points 9 & PointsPlus 11 & SmartPoints 15Beef Stews from Around the World
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I love beef stew recipes. To shift it to gluten free is easy with using a gluten free flour. I don't have a can of cranberries but fresh ones. I wonder if I put them into the blender and added it to the mix, if that would work. I might need a little agave. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteDiane ~ Fresh cranberries, for sure, but I'd be inclined to cook the cranberries with sugar or, as you say, agave, and a splash of water until the berries popped. Glad you like the recipe, it's just so simple, my favorite!
ReplyDelete