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Gardener’s Beef Stew (Jardineira) Recipe

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4.3 from 3 reviews

Gardener’s Beef Stew (Jardineira) is a traditional Portuguese hearty stew packed with tender veal or beef, smoky chouriço, crisp bacon, and fresh garden vegetables including potatoes, carrots, green beans, and peas. This slow-cooked dish features a rich tomato and white wine-infused broth, enhanced with aromatic herbs like thyme, coriander, and mint, offering a comforting and flavorful meal perfect for gatherings.

Ingredients

Meat and Protein

  • 700 g veal (or beef, cut into 3cm cubes)
  • 1 sausage chouriço (or linguiça, chopped into half-moons)
  • 100 g bacon (sliced into thin pieces)

Vegetables

  • 1 onion (diced)
  • 3 cloves garlic (diced)
  • 3 ripe tomatoes (peeled, deseeded, halved and quartered) or 400g good quality tinned tomatoes
  • 4 medium potatoes (peeled and cut into quarters)
  • 2 carrots (peeled and chopped into half moons)
  • 6 pods green beans (ends removed, sliced along edges, chopped into 3cm pieces)
  • 150 g peas (frozen or canned and drained)

Liquids and Oils

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 150 ml white wine
  • 750 ml meat stock (or vegetable stock)

Seasonings and Herbs

  • 1.5 tbsp flour
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 sprigs thyme (leaves removed)
  • 1 bunch coriander (freshly chopped)
  • 1 bunch mint (freshly chopped)
  • Sea salt (to taste)
  • Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
  • 1 drop Portuguese piri-piri oil or 1 tbsp chili flakes (optional)

Instructions

  1. Prepare the Beef: Chop the beef into 3cm cubes, trim off excess fat, and dust with 1.5 tablespoons of flour evenly coating all pieces.
  2. Prepare Vegetables and Meats: Finely dice the onion and garlic. Slice chouriço and bacon into thin pieces. Peel the tomatoes by submerging in hot water for 30 seconds then cooling, remove skins, halve, deseed, and quarter each tomato to yield 8 slices per tomato.
  3. Sear Beef: Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef cubes in batches to avoid overcrowding. Season with salt and pepper as they go into the pan. Sear each side for 3-4 minutes until a deep brown crust forms.
  4. Remove Beef: Once browned, remove beef from pan and set aside.
  5. Sauté Aromatics and Meats: In the same pan, add the diced onions, chouriço, bacon, and bay leaf. Sauté for about 3 minutes stirring gently, scraping up brown bits from the pan.
  6. Add Garlic: Add diced garlic to pan and sauté for an additional 1 minute until fragrant.
  7. Incorporate Tomato Paste: Stir in tomato paste and fry for about 1 minute until it darkens slightly, intensifying flavor.
  8. Add Tomatoes: Add peeled and chopped fresh tomatoes or canned tomatoes along with a pinch of salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes to break down the tomatoes.
  9. Deglaze with Wine: Increase heat to high, pour in 150 ml white wine, and reduce until just over half the liquid evaporates.
  10. Return Beef and Add Stock: Return seared beef to the pot, stir to coat, then add stock just to cover the beef. Season with salt and pepper, add thyme sprigs, reduce heat to very low, cover with lid, and simmer gently for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
  11. Prepare Vegetables: While the stew simmers, peel and chop carrots and potatoes; top, tail, slice green beans.
  12. Simmer Vegetables: After 1 hour, partially uncover the pot (lid half on, half off) to start thickening the broth. Add potatoes, carrots, green beans, peas, and freshly chopped coriander and mint. Add piri-piri oil or chili flakes if using. Simmer on very low heat for another 30 minutes, seasoning to taste, until vegetables are tender and flavors meld.

Notes

  • Peeling tomatoes by blanching in hot water helps remove skins easily without losing flesh.
  • Searing the beef in batches ensures a good crust and better flavor development.
  • Simmering with lid partially off helps concentrate and thicken the stew broth.
  • Fresh herbs like coriander and mint added at the end brighten the dish with fresh flavors.
  • Piri-piri oil or chili flakes can be adjusted or omitted to control spice levels.
  • This stew keeps well refrigerated and tastes even better the next day.

Find it online: https://marthatasty.com/gardeners-beef-stew-jardineira-recipe/