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Sekai Gohan
Caribéu: Pantanal Dried Beef and Cassava Stew
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Salted dried beef (charque or carne seca), soaked to remove salt | 1 lb 2 oz (500 g) | The savory, salty backbone of the stew |
| Cassava (mandioca), peeled | 1 lb 2 oz (500 g) | Starch that softens and thickens the broth |
| Tomato, seeded and chopped (tomate sem semente) | 10½ oz (300 g) | Gentle acidity |
| Onion, chopped (cebola) | 10½ oz (300 g) | Sweetness and body |
| Red bell pepper, chopped (pimentão vermelho) | 5¼ oz (150 g) | Sweet aroma and color |
| Green bell pepper, chopped (pimentão verde) | 5¼ oz (150 g) | Grassy aroma |
| Yellow bell pepper, chopped (pimentão amarelo) | 5¼ oz (150 g) | Sweet aroma and color |
| Garlic (alho) | 2 cloves | Aroma |
| Fresh herbs, chopped (cheiro verde) | 1¾ oz (50 g) | Fresh green finish |
| Cooking oil | a little | For softening the onion and garlic |
| Salt (sal) | to taste | Final adjustment only |
| Black pepper (pimenta-do-reino) | to taste | Seasoning |
| Water (água) | 1⅔ cups (400 ml) | Cooking liquid |
| Cassava flour (farinha de mandioca) | as needed | Served alongside at the table |
Steps
1Soak the charque to draw out the salt
Put the charque in a large bowl and cover it generously with cold water. Leave it to soak; the water pulls salt out of the meat, and the longer it soaks, the milder the stew will be. Lift a piece now and then and press it with your fingers. As a rough guide, it is ready when the pieces feel plumper and pliable instead of stiff and dry.
2Cut the meat, cassava and vegetables
Drain the charque and cut it into cubes. Cut the peeled cassava into chunks. Chop the onion, the seeded tomatoes and all three peppers, mince the garlic, and chop the herbs, keeping them aside for the end. Keep each ingredient in its own pile so you can add them in order; you are done when everything sits ready on the board.
3Soften the garlic and onion
Set the heavy pot over medium heat and add a little oil. Add the garlic and onion and stir as they hiss and soften. Keep them moving so the garlic does not scorch; a bitter, burnt smell carries through the whole stew. Move on when the onion is soft and pale golden and the kitchen smells sweet.
4Add everything except the herbs
Add the cubed charque, the cassava, the tomatoes and the three peppers to the pot. Pour in the water and grind in some black pepper, but leave out the salt for now. Stir once from the bottom so the onion does not stay stuck under the heavy pieces. The water comes only partway up the ingredients; that is right, and the vegetables will give up their juice as they heat.
5Simmer until the cassava is tender
Bring the pot to a gentle simmer and keep the bubbles small. Stir from the bottom every so often, scraping the base, because this little water can catch; add a splash of water whenever the bottom looks dry. The tomato and peppers will collapse into a light broth and the meat will turn tender. It is done when the cassava is translucent at the edges and a fork slides through a chunk with no resistance.
6Season and finish with the herbs
Turn the heat to low and taste the broth with a spoon. Add salt only if it needs it, a pinch at a time, and more black pepper if you like. Take the pot off the heat and scatter the chopped herbs over the top. They should stay bright green and smell fresh as they hit the hot broth.