Bajan Beef Stew

Drum roll please... Here it is! My first Ticket to Bite meal!

The first dish I cooked is a recipe I found at totallybarbados.com for Beef Stew. I adapted it slightly, using low-sodium beef stock instead of a water/browning/bouillon combo. But I was thrilled to find that I could enjoy an exotic meal with ingredients I already had in my pantry! For this dish, I only needed to buy the green (unripe) bananas.

My first Ticket to Bite meal, and it was a yummy success!

The results? Absolutely delicious! It's a wonderful blend of savory and sweet. Now, you may be skeptical: Beef and bananas?! Trust me, they compliment each other really well. I served it over coconut rice (rice made according to the instructions but using coconut water instead of plain water). I also garnished it with chopped cashews, for a little crunch, along with some golden raisins.

Here's the recipe as I made it - hope you enjoy it, too!

Bajan Beef Stew

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1½ lbs stew beef

1 medium onion, diced

2 Tbsp garlic, minced

2 Tbsp Caribbean/Jerk seasoning

6 cups low-sodium beef stock

1 tsp pepper sauce (I had sriracha, so I used that)

1 stick celery, diced

½ tsp dried thyme

½ tsp dried marjoram

1 Tbsp butter

3 Tbsp flour

1 bay leaf

½ lb carrots, diced

1 large/2 small beets, diced

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 lb (about 4 small) green bananas, peeled and sliced

Wash and pat dry the stew beef then dice it smaller than it’s typically prepared, into about ½” pieces. Combine in a bowl with the onion, garlic, pepper sauce, seasoning, celery, marjoram, and thyme. If you can, let this mixture sit for 30 minutes or so to marinate.

In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil and brown the beef in batches, if necessary. Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer till tender, about 40 to 60 minutes.

Blend the butter and flour and add to the stew. Bring it back to a boil to thicken, stirring till well blended. Add the salt, pepper, bay leaf, carrots, beets and green bananas. Reduce heat again and simmer till the carrots are tender, about 15 minutes. 

Cook's Notes: You may need to add more roux (or use cornstarch instead) to achieve your desired thickness. Use fresh herbs if you have or prefer them, but the dried worked just fine. It's very mildly spicy so, if you want more kick, add extra pepper sauce. Also, if you're bananas are slightly ripe, you may want to add them after the carrots have cooked for a few minutes to prevent them becoming mushy. Lastly, my beets were already cooked, so I added them about 5 minutes before serving, just to heat them through. 

Serves 4-6