LOW CARB ITALIAN BEEF STEW (SPEZZATINO DI MANZO)
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
A superb, winter-warming classic from Italy. A meat + veggies all-in-one great meal for the whole family.
Author: Antya - queenketo.com
Recipe type: Main Courses
Cuisine: Ketogenic. Low Carb. LCHF. Dairy Free. Grain Free. Gluten Free.
Yield: 6
Ingredients
- 1 kg stewing beef (cut into chunks)
- 30g beef tallow
- 20g extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1 shallot (minced or chopped)
- 100g chopped tomatoes (from can or fresh)
- 20g tomato paste concentrate
- 2 beef stock cubes(I use Kallo organic)
- 1 tsp fine Himalayan pink salt
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon (or 2 cinnamon sticks)
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ TBSP Italian mixed dry herbs or Herbes de Provence (or 1 TBSP fresh)
- 500g swede (net weight after peeling, top/tailing - from 700g swede)
- 500 pumpkin (500g net after peeling, top/tailing and coring - from 900g pumpkin)
- 200g frozen garden peas (or fresh)
Instructions
- take the peas out of the freezer and leave them in a bowl to defrost.
- using a wide saucepan over high heat, melt tallow and EVOO, then add beef chunks and sear on all sides.
- add all other ingredients except last 3 on the list; stir and add enough water to submerge the beef.
- put the lid on, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.
- meanwhile, prepare swede and pumpkin, cutting both into small cubes.
- after 1 hour, add swede cubes, stir, and continue to simmer for 30 minutes.
- minutes after that, add squash and peas, stir, cover, and simmer for a further 30 minutes, regularly stirring and checking to ensure nothing is sticking at the bottom as the liquids will have reduced considerably - you may need to add a little water at this stage.
- once the 2 hours are over, should a lot of liquid remain, you have three options: A) stir once more and simmer, uncovered, until desired density is achieved. B) discard some of the liquid. C) add a sprinkle of tapioca starch to thicken it (go easy as it’s quite high carb).
- serve on its own or with 1-2 slices of toasted Amazing Protein Bread.
Notes
If you're not dairy-free, you can use butter instead of tallow.
The only way to ensure accurate measurement of ingredients is with Metric Kitchen Scales.
The only way to ensure accurate measurement of ingredients is with Metric Kitchen Scales.
Nutrition
Serving: ⅙th Calories: 417 Fat: 23g Net Carbs: 11g Protein: 40g
Recipe by Queen Keto at https://queenketo.com/low-carb-italian-beef-stew-spezzatino-di-manzo/