Jarrete or Xarrete stew of Galician beef

How to prepare Xarrete with Galician style patacas .

I have had the pleasure of being able to try it several times at home and it is delicious.

Although it is in winter when this meat and vegetable stew is most prepared, it is still a very recurring dish for any meal throughout the year. Remember that you can add the vegetables that match the season in which we are.

It is healthier to eat seasonal foods, since their nutrients vary as the seasons progress and thus we help our bodies adapt to climate changes. Thus we will have a perfect dish, tasty and full of nutrients for our body.

It is important that the ingredients are of good quality, not only the vegetables, the meat plays a fundamental role in the recipe. In this case it is from the butcher of the town, Allariz, of all confidence. The meat of jarrete or xarrete   is very juicy, it has a lot of gelatin that, well cooked, makes it cut like butter and melt in your mouth.

The term jarrete derives from the word “jarra” to refer to the animal’s leg. It corresponds to the upper part that goes from the calf to the hamstring of the animal’s leg (in gastronomy the back is preferred), when it is cut with the cane it is what we call ” Ossobuco ” .

This recipe is a typical dish of Galician cuisine and is usually prepared in a stew. It is very recurring in any festive or Sunday meal and if you can prepare it the day before it will be even richer than just made.

Preparation of the Veal Xarrete

1. Crush the garlic clove in a mortar, add the thyme, parsley and a tablespoon of water.
2. We marinated the xarrete an hour before with the previous pasta and season to taste with a little pepper and salt. We let it take all the flavor of the pasta before cooking.
3. In the same pot where we are going to cook the stew, add the olive oil and mark the xarrete until it is well browned, the meat will begin to release part of its juice. We remove the meat and reserve.
4. Chop the onions and bell pepper. Fry the onion and red pepper in the same oil where we brown the meat for about 10 minutes over low heat.
5. When the sauce is well browned, add the xarrete and pour in the glass of chamomile wine. Add the bay leaf and rectify salt and pepper. We let it reduce a little, about 10-15 minutes.
6. Peel the potatoes and carrots. We cut the potatoes into cubes breaking them so that they release all their starch and the carrots in slices as thin as possible.

Xarrete cooking and final presentation

1. Add the potatoes, carrots, peas and chili to the pot. We cover everything with the meat broth.
2. We have 2 ways to prepare this xarrete. Simmer until the meat is tender, about 60 minutes or in the pressure cooker for about 18 minutes. Always waiting for all the steam to come out of the pot valve before opening it.
3. If you prepare it the day before to heat it, it is best to use the same saucepan over very low heat, moving from time to time so that it does not stick to the saucepan.
4. We serve very hot and with a little bread, the sauce in this recipe is great.

To complete and round off the dish, the ideal is to enjoy this dish accompanied by a good wine (I recommend 2 at the end of the recipe).

I leave you with this simple recipe to prepare. Only for those who prepare it for the first time, the only condition for it to come out delicious is that we do it with enough time.

So that the stew is good, and the sauce has that thick point of the vegetables. I hope you like it and prepare it at home.

Tips for a scrub shank

• The stew is usually better from one day to the next, so it should be cooked the day before. This way we get the flavors to rest and come together better. I no longer say anything about the sauce that wins even with 2 days after its preparation.
• A good stew requires hours of cooking and low heat. It is preferable to cook it in a traditional pot or casserole. If we opt for the express pot, we must bear in mind that not all ingredients have the same cooking point.
• My advice if you do not have that time is to prepare it first in the express pot. The final touch, give it in the traditional casserole.
• The stew or stew without any alcohol is not stewed. Red wine, brandy, cognac, a Pedro Ximénez (or sweet wine that you have at home) or even a little rum. They are the perfect liqueurs to cook this dish.
• It is important that you cut down on alcohol so that you lose heartburn.