Aleppan Beef and Vegetable Stew

👨‍🍳 Method

To assemble

1. 1
   Ahead of time, cut the carrot, potatoes and cabbage into chunks.

   KnifeCutting board
2. 2
   Cut the meat into large cubes.

   KnifeCutting board
3. 3
   Heat the oil in a wide pot and brown the meat on all sides. Remove to a plate.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveWide, shallow pot

   💡Brown the meat in batches, without crowding: in a crowded pot it stews in its own juices instead of searing.

   💡What you brown (meat, patties, schnitzel) goes into hot oil: in lukewarm oil it soaks it up and comes out greasy. For onion and garlic that you soften, oil heated over medium or low heat is enough; do not wait for it to smoke.
4. 4
   Add the onion to the oil left in the wide pot and fry 5 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStoveWide, shallow pot

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
5. 5
   Add the paprika and cumin and fry 30 seconds, until fragrant.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Paprika burns quickly and turns bitter: half a minute in the oil is enough, then move straight on to the next step.
6. 6
   Add the tomato paste and fry 2 minutes, stirring.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove
7. 7
   Add the water and bring to a boil.

   Stove
8. 8
   Return the meat to the pot and season with salt and black pepper.
9. 9
   Turn down to low, cover and simmer 45 minutes, until the meat softens.

   ⚙ SimmeringStoveLid

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
10. 10
    Add the carrot, potatoes and cabbage and cook another 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

    Stove