Name: Beef Stew (Sousi)
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Cuisine: Georgia
Ingredients: 10 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) butter; 1 hot red or green pepper, chopped; 2 bay leaves; 2 pounds potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped; 3 medium onions, peeled and coarsely chopped; 4 cups chopped cilantro (¼ pound); 1 cup water; Freshly ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 pounds stewing beet, cut into 1-inch cubes; 1 green pepper, chopped; 4 cups chopped basil (¼ pound); 2 pounds tomatoes, peeled and seeded (or two 28-ounce cans, drained)

Preparation info

Serves
4 to 6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Georgian Feast

By Darra Goldstein

Published 1999

About

Sousi is a spicy stew that is prepared in a rather unorthodox manner. One would expect that steaming the beef and then cooking it over high heat would toughen it, but the meat turns out remarbblv tender. Chock-full of vegetables, sousi makes an excellent one-dish meal. Serve with a crusty bread to soak up the juices.

Ingredients

2 pounds stewing beet, cut into 1-inch cubes
10 tablespoons (1¼

Method

Place the meat in a dutch oven and cook, covered, over low heat until it begins to sweat. Without adding any liquid, braise the meat for about 10 minutes, stirring once. Uncover the pan and turn the heat to high. Cook for another 10 minutes, until the liquid evaporates.

Add the butter at this point, and cook the meat over medium high heat for about 10 minutes more, stirring occasionally