By
Diego Cortés
Carne arvejada is a Chilean home-cooking stew: cubed beef browned and then simmered gently with onion, carrot, red pepper and green peas, until the sauce thickens on its own and the meat yields to a spoon. It is the beef version of arvejado -the stew Chileans know best with chicken- and it is served with rice, mash or pasta, with bread to mop up the sauce.
It comes together in one pot with pantry ingredients and feeds four at around 560 kcal per serving, before the side dish. It works for a weekday lunch and gets better the next day: like any stew, the beef finishes softening when reheated.
Do not confuse it with broken peas, the spoon version made from dried peas. For the side, white rice; and if you like beef in its own juices, try juiced meat.
Prep
20 min
Cook
50 min
Servings
4
Calories
560 kcal
Take the beef out of the fridge 20 minutes ahead, cut it into 3 cm cubes and pat them dry with kitchen paper: wet meat steams in its own juice instead of browning. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over high heat and brown the beef in two batches, 3 to 4 minutes per batch without moving it, until a golden crust forms. Lift out and set aside.
Lower the heat to medium and soften the onion for 5 to 6 minutes until translucent; add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, then the merkén for just 30 seconds so it does not turn bitter.
Return the beef and its juices to the pot, sprinkle over the flour if using and stir for 1 minute so it toasts and loses the raw taste.
Pour in the hot stock, add the bay leaf and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon to lift the browned bits. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes.
Add the carrots and pepper and cook uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring now and then.
Add the peas and the tomato sauce and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until tender but still bright green: any longer and they lose their colour and collapse.
Season with the dried basil, taste and adjust salt and pepper. If the sauce is thin, uncover and reduce for 5 minutes over medium heat; if it is too thick, loosen it with stock by the tablespoon.
Turn off the heat and let it rest, covered, for 5 minutes: the sauce comes together and the meat settles before serving.
Serve hot with white rice, mashed potatoes or pasta, and bread on the side to mop up the sauce.
This recipe has a easy difficulty level, which means it's accessible for cooks of all levels.
The preparation time is 20 minutes and the cooking time is 50 minutes.
This recipe is designed for 4 servings.
Yes, many ingredients can be substituted with similar alternatives. We recommend checking the recipe variations.
Store the preparation in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Some preparations can be frozen for up to 3 months.
