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Balkan Beef and Roasted Pepper Skillet Stew

Counter 06 · Stews & Braises

Balkan Beef and Roasted Pepper Skillet Stew

Strips of chuck braised low with charred red peppers, sweet paprika and tomato until the sauce turns glossy and the beef falls apart on a fork.

4.6 143 cooks rated this
Prep
30 min
Cook
2 hr 30 min
Serves
6
Level
Medium
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Across the Balkans, late-summer peppers get roasted by the crate and end up in everything, including this rustic stew cooked in a wide pan rather than a pot. The wide surface lets the sauce reduce as the beef braises, so it finishes thick without any flour. Char the peppers well; the blackened skins you peel off leave behind a smoky sweetness that paprika alone cannot give. Serve it with crusty bread or soft polenta and a spoon of sour cream.

Method

  1. Char the peppers directly over a gas flame or under the broiler, turning, until blackened all over, about 10 minutes. Seal in a bowl for 10 minutes, then peel, seed and cut into strips.

  2. Season the beef with salt. Heat the oil in a wide 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat and brown the beef in two batches, 4 to 5 minutes each. Set aside.

  3. Lower the heat to medium, add the onions and cook until soft and golden, 8 minutes. Add the garlic, both paprikas and tomato paste and stir for 1 minute, taking care the paprika does not scorch.

  4. Add the crushed tomatoes, stock and browned beef with its juices. Bring to a simmer, cover and transfer to a 325 F oven.

  5. Braise for 1 1/2 hours, then stir in the roasted peppers and cook uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes more, until the beef is fork-tender and the sauce is thick and glossy.

  6. Taste for salt, scatter with parsley and serve from the skillet.

Hand lifting the lid of a red Dutch oven on a stove
Checking the braise under the Dutch oven lid
Hand seasoning a pot of broth beside a pan of browned meat
Seasoning the broth beside a pan of browned meat

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