TasteFood: Beat the cold with this smoky, spicy stew

It’s the time of year for slow cooking, which calls for hearty stews exuding warmth in heat and flavor. This short rib stew will satisfy any cravings for warming comfort food, while tingling the palate with the smoky heat of chipotle peppers and Southwestern spice.

The method to make this stew resembles other meaty braises, with hunks of beef seared to a deep golden brown on the stovetop, then submerged in a heady stock of wine, broth and aromatics. The pot is then banished to the oven for several hours to allow the stew to gently bubble and simmer until the meat is fork-tender and infused with the rich and fragrant stock.

As always, the key to building flavor in the stew is time and patience, which are requisite for slow cooking. You can take solace in the fact that your kitchen will smell enticingly delicious while you wait. Ideally, make the dish one day in advance of serving and refrigerate overnight. This will allow the flavors to develop further and the fat to rise to the top of the stew. The next day, the solidified fat can be removed from the surface of the stew before rewarming.

Note: You can use either boneless short ribs or beef chuck in the stew.

Chipotle Short Rib Stew

Serves 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS

2½ to 3 pounds boneless short ribs, cut in 1½-inch chunks

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil

1 large yellow onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

6 ounces tomato paste

1 (750ml) bottle heavy-bodied red wine

2 cups beef stock or chicken stock

1/4 cup chopped chipotles in adobo with juices

1 bay leaf

6 to 8 cipollini onions, peeled and halved

2 carrots, peeled, thickly sliced

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Season the meat on all sides with salt and pepper.Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the meat on all sides in batches, without overcrowding the pan, about 8 minutes. (This step is very important, so take the time to do it well.) Transfer to a plate or bowl and repeat with the remaining meat.

Drain off all but 1 tablespoon fat from the pot (or add 1 tablespoon oil if the pan is dry). Add the onion and garlic and saute over medium heat until the onion softens, about 3 minutes, stirring up the brown bits in the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the paprikas, cumin and coriander and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the tomato paste and continue to stir to slightly cook the paste and create a slurry, about 30 seconds more.

Add the wine, stock, chipotles and bay leaf to the pot. Add the meat and any collected juices. If the meat is not completely submerged, add more stock or wine to cover. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat. Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook the stew until the meat is very tender, 2½ to 3 hours, stirring once or twice. Remove the pot from the oven.

If making the stew one day in advance, cool the stew, then cover the pot and refrigerate overnight. One hour before serving, remove the pot from the refrigerator and lift or scrape off the layer of fat collected on the surface. Gently warm the stew over medium-low heat until the stock is liquid enough to remove the meat.

Carefully remove the meat from the sauce and place in a bowl. Bring the sauce to a boil on the stovetop. Simmer, uncovered, over medium heat until the sauce is reduced slightly and thickened to a rich consistency, 10 to 12 minutes, skimming any fat as necessary.

While the sauce is reducing, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and lightly season with salt. Cook until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.

When the sauce has reduced, add the vegetables and meat with any collected juices to the stew. Stir in the vinegar and sugar and season with salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning. Simmer the stew over medium-low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes more. Serve warm.

Lynda Balslev is a San Francisco Bay Area cookbook author, food and travel writer and recipe developer. Learn more at TasteFoodBlog.com.©2025 Lynda Balslev, distributed by Andrews McMeel Syndication