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1
Brown the beef
10 minutes
Medium-high heat (200°C / 400°F)
Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the beef cubes in a single layer, leaving space between them, and brown for about 10 minutes, turning once or twice, until every side has colour. Work in two batches if the pot is crowded.
Do not crowd the pot — crowded beef steams instead of browning, and you lose the flavour that browning builds.
Done when: Beef is browned on all sides with no pink showing on the surface.
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2
Cook the tomato sofrito
8 minutes
Medium heat (175°C / 350°F)
Lower the heat to medium and add the onion and green pepper to the same pot, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom. Cook for 3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the chopped tomatoes with their juices and the oregano, and cook for 4 minutes, stirring, until the tomatoes soften and the mixture smells sweet and savoury.
Scrape the bottom as the onion cooks — the browned beef bits dissolve into the sofrito and flavour the whole pot.
Done when: Tomatoes have softened into a thick sauce and the oil at the edges is orange-red.
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3
Simmer the beef and potato
20 minutes
Low simmer (95°C / 200°F)
Pour in 500 ml of the water, add the potato, the salt and the black pepper, and stir well. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover with the lid slightly ajar, and cook for 20 minutes so the beef turns tender, the potato softens and the sauce thickens.
Keep the simmer gentle — a hard boil toughens stewing beef instead of tenderising it.
Done when: Beef is cooked through to at least 71°C (160°F) inside and yields easily when pressed with a spoon; the potato is soft.
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4
Add the pasta and water
5 minutes
Medium-high heat (200°C / 400°F)
Stir in the bowtie pasta and the remaining 300 ml of water. Raise the heat and bring the pot back to a boil, stirring once so the pasta is evenly spread through the sauce.
Stir only this once — stirring pasta while it cooks breaks the bows and makes the stew gummy.
Done when: Pot is boiling, pasta is evenly mixed through the beef, potato and sauce.
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5
Simmer until the pasta is tender
12 minutes
Low heat (95°C / 200°F)
Cover with a tight lid, lower the heat to the barest simmer and cook for 12 minutes without lifting the lid. The pasta should turn tender and drink up the sauce while the stew stays moist and spoonable.
If the lid does not seal well, lay a clean tea towel under it to trap the steam.
Done when: Pasta is tender with a slight bite, the liquid is mostly absorbed, and the stew is moist but not soupy.
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6
Rest and serve
5 minutes
No heat
Take the pot off the heat and rest, lid on, for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt, then spoon into wide bowls and scatter with the chopped parsley.
Resting lets the pasta finish absorbing the sauce, so the last bowl is as good as the first.
Done when: Bowls are steaming, the pasta is glossy with tomato sauce, flecked with beef, potato and herbs.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Spoon the stew into wide bowls, scatter with chopped parsley and a pinch of oregano, and serve hot with boiled mandioca on the side.
Paraguay
1h 5m
