Taking the slowly out of slowly simmered beef stew

Almost by definition, beef stew isn't a weeknight-friendly dish.

That's mostly a matter of the meat. Stew meat generally is tough and requires a long simmer to become tender. But who has time for that at the end of a long day at work?

But stews are so right for the season, it seemed a shame to give them up. Sure, you could plan ahead and make them on the weekend. But I'm guessing that I'm not the only person whose weekends rarely are relaxed enough to spend much time contemplating my dinners for the rest of the week.

Instead, I decided to come up with a beef stew that could be tossed together on a weeknight. It was easier than I expected.

The first step was replacing the meat. Stew meat was right out. But tender sirloin tips worked perfectly. But it was important to adapt the cooking technique to this cut of meat. If I just tossed it into the pot and let it cook with the rest of the ingredients, they would end up tough from overcooking. But I didn't want to add them only at the end, either, as this would prevent browning.

The solution was browning the meat first, then setting it aside while the other ingredients cooked. The meat then was returned to pot toward the end of cooking. The result was perfect taste and texture. —

Speedy beef and butternut stew

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 pounds sirloin beef tips, cut into 1-inch chunks

3 cups cubed butternut squash (1/2-inch cubes)

1 cup baby carrots, halved

1 large yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

2 cups beef broth

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

Salt and ground black pepper

In a large saucepan over medium-high, heat the oil. Add beef, in batches to avoid crowding the pan, and cook, turning, until browned on all sides but still rare at the center, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the beef to a plate.

Return saucepan to the heat and add squash and carrots. If the pan is too dry to easily saute the vegetables, add a splash of olive oil. Saute until the squash begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add onion and garlic, then continue to cook until the onion is tender, about another 6 minutes. Add tomatoes, broth, paprika, thyme and mustard powder. Bring to a simmer and cook until the carrots and squash are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Return the beef to the pot, as well as any juices that have accumulated on the plate. Simmer for 5 minutes, then season with salt and pepper.

Servings • 6

Source: The Associated Press