Olla de Carne

Olla de Carne (Costa Rican Beef Stew)

A hearty Costa Rican beef stew with potatoes, carrots, plantains, and corn, served alongside rice and black beans. This is the ultimate home-style comfort dish, slow-cooked until the beef is fall-apart tender.

Prep

25 min

Cook

120 min

Total

145 min

Serves

6

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •1 kg (2.2 lb) beef chuck or brisket, cut into 5 cm chunks, trimmed of excess fat
• •2 L (8½ cups) water, or enough to cover meat and vegetables
• •1 onion, quartered
• •4 cloves garlic, smashed
• •1 bunch (1 small) fresh cilantro, tied with kitchen twine, plus extra chopped for garnish
• •2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• •1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• •3 potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks, about 500 g / 1 lb
• •3 carrots, peeled and cut into thick rounds, about 300 g / 10½ oz
• •2 ripe plantains, peeled and cut into 5 cm pieces, optional but traditional
• •2 ears corn on the cob, each cut into 3 pieces
• •1 cup (220 g / 7¾ oz) white rice, for serving
• •2 cups (475 ml) cooked black beans, canned or homemade; if using dried, see step 0
• •1 tbsp vegetable oil, for browning the beef

Steps

1. 1 If using dried black beans, soak them overnight in cold water. Drain and rinse, then place in a pot with fresh water. Bring to a rolling boil and boil for at least 10 minutes to destroy naturally occurring toxins. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until tender (about 1–1½ hours). Set aside.
2. 2 Heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown the beef on all sides, about 5–7 minutes per batch. Do not crowd the pot; remove each batch to a plate.
3. 3 Return all the beef to the pot. Add the water, onion, garlic, tied cilantro, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently for 1 hour, skimming any foam from the surface occasionally.
4. 4 After 1 hour, add the potatoes, carrots, plantains, and corn pieces. Stir to combine. Continue to simmer, uncovered, for 30–40 minutes, until the beef is fork-tender and the vegetables are cooked through. The stew should have a rich, flavourful broth.
5. 5 While the stew simmers, cook the rice according to package instructions. Keep warm.
6. 6 When the stew is ready, remove the cilantro bundle and onion quarters. Taste the broth and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.
7. 7 To serve, place a scoop of rice in each bowl, ladle the stew over it, and add a generous spoonful of black beans on the side. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro.