I suppose for all intents and purposes, this is not a recipe test drive, unless it counts if you’ve driven the recipe around the block several hundred times over the years. Beef stewed in cranberry chutney is a family favorite, or to be more specific, a Keith and Debbie favorite, since it’s a bit too tart and spicy for Owen. “It’s got raisins” doesn’t quite cut it when the cayenne is burning the skin off a five-year-old’s tongue. I promised the men in my life that I’d make it more mild next time.
When the weather starts to get colder, and especially when the holidays roll around, this recipe springs to mind and won’t go away until I make it. Oh, and eat it. Bonus: it’s easy and even unique enough to serve to company, which we’ve also done on occasion.
We almost always serve this dish with brown rice, as was recommended in the original recipe, and believe it or not, I haven’t made too many modifications over the years. I generally leave out the walnuts, since we have nut allergies in the family. I’ll also usually use two stalks of celery rather than one with leaves. And apparently, I get carried away with the 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne, but other than that, I do the recipe as written. With a little chopped parsley for the picture!
Yes, so the stew meat, cranberries, raisins, spices, veggies and garlic all simmer together as intended.
A side salad is a complement both in texture and temperature to this warming dish, and even though it says it serves four, in our experience, with the rice and salad, you can probably serve six.
So if you’re looking for a unique beef stew recipe that’s perfect for the cold seasons and fancy enough to serve to guests, I suggest trying beef stewed in cranberry chutney. We love it.