Meal #5 Chile - Cazuela de Vaca

So, I'm a little bit behind in my blog, so in the next 8 hours, there are going to be three updates. Going back to last weekend, I started the weekend off by making a traditional Chilean stew called Cazuela. For my cazuela I chose to make a beef stew, although I saw recipes that used chicken or no meat at all. The stew turned out really well, even though I was making it a bit out of season. What I did to make it out of season was substituted the pumpkin with butternut squash. 

  

 Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds beef roast
• 1 (32 ounce) carton beef broth
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup polenta (coarse or fine)
• 8 red potatoes, cut in half
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1 1/2 pounds slice of pumpkin (calabaza)
• 2 ears corn, cut into thirds
• 1 carrot, cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 stalk celery, cut into chunks
• 1 leek, split in half, then cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon mild paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves (lightly packed)

Directions

1. Cut the piece of beef into 6 large chunks (one per serving). Place the beef into a large saucepan; pour in the beef broth and water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer until nearly tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
2. Stir the polenta into the stew along with the potatoes and onion. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Cut the pumpkin into 6, serving-sized pieces, and add to the stew along with the corn, carrot, bell pepper, celery, and leek; simmer until the vegetables are tender, adding more water if needed to barely cover. Stir in the oregano and paprika during the last 5 minutes.
3. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into serving bowls, and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.