Portugese Not-Tripe Stew

     

It is said that the people of Oporto, Portugal don't even like Port wine, even though it is named after their town. They prefer red table wine instead.  That makes sense since Port actually comes from the Douro Valley, about 40 miles upriver from the seaside Oporto.  Port is also a foreign creation for foreign markets.  British entrepreneurs created Port because the red wine they were importing was going bad before it reached England.  That led them to fortify the wine with a neutral grape spirit, which stopped fermentation and preserved it for its journey abroad.

What is locally associated with Oporto is tripe stew.  Portuguese are historically referred to as "tripeiros" or tripe eaters.  In their glory days of sea exploration, Portuguese ship crews received the best meats for their journeys, leaving only the unwanted leftover cuts for the locals.  Tripe became a part of Portuguese culinary history.  You can't blame the local tourism board for highlighting Port wine over tripe stew.  Can you imagine?  "Come to our country and eat our historic cow stomach lining recipes!"
     
In no way am I encouraging you to eat tripe.  It may be good, but neither of us will discover that tonight.  Instead, this journey of discovery is another way to turn the ordinary into something interesting and tasty.  You can imagine the need to turn tripe into something engaging.  They threw everything at it, different additional cuts of meat, mainly pork, spices, wine, garlic.  The result is a stew that is quite tasty and quintessentially Iberian.  In Oporto, where they use white beans mixed in with the stew, it is called simply Tripas.  In the south where they substitute chickpeas it is called Dobrada.  My recipe leaves out the tripe and puts back in the beef.  This Portuguese preparation makes this beef stew something more than the flour, carrots and potatoes that I am trying to avoid.  It includes the paprika and cumin, onions and tomato, wine and garlic of Iberian cooking.  The Portuguese will also add chorizo.  I find that overpowering, and left it out.  Try this version, it is just as authentic as Port wine.  Serves 4.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb beef stew cubes
2 small or 1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1 cup dry red wine
1 can diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 can garbanzo beans
2 cups cooked rice

Preparation:
Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat.  When the oil is smoking, add the beef and season with salt and pepper.  Brown the beef on all sides, and then add the onions and garlic.  Soften the onions for several minutes and then add the paprika and cumin.  Allow the spices to release their flavors for a couple of minutes and then add the wine.  Scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pot and add the diced tomatoes, with their juices, and the bay leaf.  Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  Stir in the garbanzo beans and simmer the stew for 30 more minutes.  Serve over rice.