Spanish Beef Stew

This dish of Andrew Zimmern reminds me of Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon!  The flavors are so similar but presented in a different way.  Cooking the beef in red wine gives it a deep rich flavor that is so pleasant in the mouth.

Another good thing about this dish is that you can fix it in the slow cooker and leave to do other stuff!

Ingredients

3 tbsps olive oil

2 pounds cubed beef for stew

3 pieces bacon, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger, grated

1/4 tsp clove

1 tsp sugar

1 c dry red wine

1 c beef stock

1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut in 1 inch cubes halved & placed in a bowl of cold water

1/2 c dried currants ( I could not find this so I used dried blueberries instead)

1/4 c toasted pine nuts

2 tbsp capers

3 tbsp minced parsley

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 bunch spinach

Salt and pepper

Directions

Cook bacon in a large heavy pot until it becomes slightly crisp.  Remove from the pot and set aside.

Add a third of the beef.  Brown it on all sides and and transfer to a platter.  Repeat with the remaining meat.

Add ginger, onions, garlic, clove, nutmeg and sugar.  Cook for 3 minutes.

Add wine and let it boil for 5 minutes. Add the stock and lower the heat.  Put the beef back and simmer covered for 1 hour.

Add the potatoes and simmer covered for 30 minutes.

When the meat and potatoes are fork tender, remove them with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Stir in the spinach, currants, pine nutes, capers, parsley and vinegar.  Cook until the sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Add back the meat and potatoes and cook for another minute or two.