Carbonada Criolla from Argentina

Growing up, we used to eat stew a couple of times a week.  As a struggling single mother, stew was a staple for us.  A way to feed a family using cheaper cuts of meat.  So always on the lookout to make stew a little different, this beef stew from Argentina is definitely unusual but decidedly delicious.  Because of the dried fruit and sweet potatoes the stew is sweeter than the conventional stew.  But when you are looking for something hearty and warming on a chilly evening, Carbonada Criolla is ideal.  Serve with cornbread and a salad or brown rice.  Perfect for cooking in a slow cooker.

1 large onion roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 green pepper finely sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 kg stewing beef cut into chunks
1 can peeled and chopped tomatoes
2 cups water

1 beef stock cube
3 sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
2 white potatoes peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons sugar
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1/2 cup dried apricots roughly chopped

1/2 cup raisins
1 cup frozen corn
1 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon black pepper

chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

This is quite a bulky stew so you will need to use a large pot or your slow cooker.  Sauté the onions, green pepper, and garlic in the olive oil until golden and soft.  Add the beef chunks and lightly brown the meat.  Add the can of tomatoes, beef stock cube, water, potatoes, sugar, butternut, and dried fruit, and allow to simmer for about an hour.  Add the salt and pepper and a little more water if the stew is too thick.
Let it simmer for another 45 minutes until the beef cubes break apart when you touch them with a fork.  Stir in the frozen corn, and simmer for 5 minutes more.  Alternatively, put the ingredients in your slow cooker on low heat in the morning before leaving for work, and it will be perfect when you get home later in the day.
Cindy Vine is the author of Hush Baby, Not Telling, Defective and C U @ 8. All her books are available on Amazon in both kindle and paperback formats. Cindy is currently working on a recipe book.

Empanadas de Carne de Res from Argentina

Empanadas de Carne de Res are semi-circlular shaped pies with a very different taste.  Make them a bit bigger for a main meal, or serve as a snack.  The flavour combinations are not something you would ever have thought of putting together, but it works.  If you make your own pies, then you definitely have to try these.

1 roll frozen puff pastry defrosted

1 tablespoon oil

1 onion thinly sliced

1 cup beef mince

1/4 cup seedless olives diced

1/4 cup raisins

1 hard-boiled egg

1 clove garlic finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius.  Put the oil in the frying pan and lightly saute the onion and garlic.  Add the beef mince and salt and cook over a low heat until the mince is cooked through.  Add in the olives, raisins and hard-boiled egg.  Simmer for another 2-3 minutes.

Roll out the puff pastry sheet.  Using a coffee mug or a glass with a wide mouth, cut circles out of the pastry sheet.  Put 1-2 tablespoons of the mince filling into the centre of the pastry circles.  Beat the egg with the water in a small bowl.  Brush the beaten egg around the edge of the pastry circle.  Fold the pastry over to make a semi-circle.  Crimp the edges down together so that it is completely sealed.  Brush the top with the egg mixture and pop them into the oven for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown.

Cindy Vine is a South African currently living and working in Kyiv in Ukraine.  She is the author of Hush Baby, Defective, C U @ 8, Not Telling and The Case of Billy B.  All her books are available on Amazon in both print and Kindle format. http://cindyvine.com