Green Beans Stew
This Green Beans Stew with Beef and Potatoes is based on an Albanian recipe called Gjelle me Mashurka or Bishtaja. Most Mediterranean countries have a version of this stew. You can cook it with beef with lamb.
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
- 1 lb stew beef
- 1.5 lbs green beans
- 2 medium size onions
- 2 medium potatoes
- 3 tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 0.5 tsp black pepper
- 0.5 tsp paprika
- 5 tbsps olive oil
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Clean the green beans by cutting the ends and cutting in half if they're too long. Rinse and place in a bowl. Chop the onions in small cubes and put them aside. Peel the potatoes and place them in a bowl of water so they don't get dark.
- Add oil in a large pot in medium-high heat. Start sauteing the meat chunks (see recipe tips on how to pick the correct meat and cut). Use a wooden spoon to mix often so the meat is sauteed evenly on all sides until it gets a brown color or a darker coat without letting it burn.
- Once the meat is cooked on all sides, add the onions and continue sauteing them together until the onions get translucent. (see recipe notes below for another sauteing option).
- Blend the tomatoes into a pulp and pour over the meat and onions once onions are translucent. Lower heat from medium-high to medium and stirr well so everything is mixed.
- At this point add the spices: tomato paste, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper. Mix everything well and allow for flavors to blend.
- While the mix starts to boil, add potato chunks. Cut the potatoes you had in water in big chunks. I personally prefer big chunks, but if you prefer them in cubes you can do that too. Be careful that that takes a little more time so plan accordingly.
- Add 2 cups of water and stirr. Once everything starts to boil cover the pot and let the meat cook with everything else for about 10-15 minutes.
- Then add the green beans and let cook for about 20 more minutes. Add more water as needed to get the stew in your desired consistency. Towards the end, taste and adjust for salt and spices.
- Serve in a soup bowl. Warm or toasted bread is a must as a side to this stew. You can add other side dishes as desired.
Notes
- Meat has to be in chunks. My grocery stores already sells packages of meat for stew. But if you can't buy it already cut then I would buy the meat and cut it in 1-2 inch cubes.
- My family's tradition in sauteing was that we saute the meat in olive oil then add the vegetables one by one and keep sauteing slowly. It's a great method but I also remember I burnt lunch few times as a teenagers because I couldn't get the timing right. So if you're afraid you won't get the timing right, then saute the meat well and place on a plate, cover up. Then in same pot saute onions, tomatoes and other vegetables as needed. Add the meat back in once you are done.