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Quick beef stew full of flavor, satifsying

Associated Press

Fast is the key word here. Imagine: a swift 25 minutes to produce a flavorful, meaty stew.

With the right know-how, in this case from chef Galen Zamarra of New York City’s Mas restaurant, it’s possible to have a dish as satisfying and wine-friendly as a stew should be – but without the wait.

Zamarra offers a selection of 30-minute wonders in the October issue of Food & Wine magazine, in the “Fast” column, and among them is this beef stew.

Beef Rib Eye and Vegetable Stew

From chef Galen Zamarra of New York City’s Mas restaurant

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 pounds boneless beef rib eye, trimmed of visible fat and cut into 1-inch chunks

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 carrots cut into 1/4 -inch dice

2 garlic cloves, very coarsely chopped

1 large Yukon Gold potato, cut into 1/4 -inch dice

1 large onion, cut into 1/4 -inch dice

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup dry red wine

2 cups beef stock or canned low-sodium broth

4 thyme sprigs, plus thyme leaves for garnish

1 bay leaf

1 cup frozen peas

Heat a large skillet. Add the oil and heat until wisps of smoke appear. Add the meat, season generously with salt and pepper and brown on all sides over moderately high heat, about 4 minutes total. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a plate.

Melt the butter in the skillet. Add the carrots, garlic, potato and onion and cook until lightly colored, about 3 minutes. Stir in the flour. Add the red wine and simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the stock, thyme sprigs and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over moderately low heat until the carrots and potato are fork tender, about 6 minutes.

Add the peas and the meat along with any accumulated juices, cover and simmer until the meat is heated through and medium rare, about 3 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Season with salt and pepper, garnish with thyme leaves and serve.

Yield: 4 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 635 calories, 29 grams fat (11 grams saturated, 43 percent fat calories), 52 grams protein, 28 grams carbohydrate, 142 milligrams cholesterol, 5 grams dietary fiber, 635 milligrams sodium.