White rice with stew

Fluffy white rice served with a tender beef, vegetable and tomato stew.

Ingredients

• 320 g long-grain white rice, dry weight
• 600 g boneless stewing beef, trimmed, with approximately 8–10 % fat
• 200 g peeled onions
• 300 g peeled carrots
• 200 g deseeded bell pepper
• 400 g chopped tomatoes with no added salt
• 30 g tomato paste with no added salt
• 12 g peeled garlic
• 30 ml sunflower oil
• 700 ml hot water for the stew
• 600 ml water for the rice
• 4 g salt, including 3 g for the stew and 1 g for the rice
• 2 g sweet paprika
• 1 g ground black pepper
• 2 g dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf

Preparation

During the 25 min preparation time, cut the beef into 3 cm cubes and pat it dry with paper towels. Slice the onions, chop the garlic, cut the carrots into thick rounds and the bell pepper into pieces. Set the vegetables aside separately and clean any equipment that touched the raw meat.

Begin the 110 min cooking time by heating the oil in a heavy-based pot. Brown the beef in several batches for approximately 8 min in total, without crowding the pieces. Turn them to brown several sides, then set aside on a clean plate. Browning develops flavour but should not cook the meat all the way through.

Sauté the onions in the same pot for 5 min, stirring. Add the garlic, tomato paste, paprika, pepper and thyme for 1 min. Pour in the tomatoes and hot water, scrape up the browned bits and return the beef with its juices, the bay leaf and 3 g salt.

Bring to a gentle simmer over approximately 1 min, then cover and reduce the heat. The preceding operations take approximately 15 min. Now simmer gently for 95 min, with small bubbles rather than a rolling boil. Stir occasionally and check that the bottom stays moist; top up with a little water only if necessary.

After 65 min of simmering, add the carrots and cover again: this gives them 30 min to cook. Also test the beef with a fork. If it is still very firm, extend this phase before starting the rice so that the rice is not ready too early.

After approximately 70 min of simmering, when the meat is beginning to soften, rinse the rice in a sieve until the water is less cloudy, then drain. Put the 600 ml water and 1 g salt in a saucepan. Keep the uncooked rice nearby without leaving it to soak.

Bring this water to the boil in approximately 5 min. Add the rice, stir once, cover and cook over very low heat for 15 min. Turn off the heat and leave to rest, still covered, for 5 min. Do not repeatedly lift the lid: the steam helps cook the rice.

After 85 min of simmering the stew, stir in the bell pepper for the remaining 10 min. If the sauce seems too thin, leave the lid slightly ajar and watch more closely. It should coat the pieces while remaining plentiful enough to accompany the rice, without becoming a soup.

At 95 min of simmering, check that the beef yields easily to a fork and the carrots are tender. Depending on the cut, simmering may take 90–120 min; extend it if necessary and adjust the timing of the rice. The stated 135 min corresponds to the scenario with 95 min of simmering, including preparation.

Remove the bay leaf, taste the sauce and gently fluff the rice with a fork. Divide the rice, meat, vegetables and sauce into 4 comparable portions. Serve immediately on warm plates, leaving some of the rice visible to appreciate its texture separately from that of the stew.