Gochujang Beef Stew with Roasted Tomatoes and Creamy Coconut Polenta

SCRAPS #39: the perfect balance of sweet, savory, and spicy, my ideal dinner meal

Although March is here, Spring seems so far away. I can’t be the only one that feels this way. The days are slowly warming up (I say that as we had a massive snow storm yesterday lol), the sun is setting a little later (thank goodness), I can feel my seasonal depression creeping away (also thank goodness), but I don’t know, something about this atmosphere tells me Spring is still a few months away.

I’ve been finding comfort in simple meals lately — I actually have no choice but to do so. I have a few projects on my plate at the moment (which I’m very grateful for, this isn’t meant to sound complain-y), that basically require me to turn into a recipe-development-machine (which like, makes me thrive since that’s what I was put on this Earth for), but that means I have little to no brain power to put any effort into my meals — my personal meals, you know, the ones you eat to keep yourself alive.

And you’re probably thinking: “why cook new meals and not eat the leftover tests?”.

Okay, I do, but something not a lot of recipe developers talk about (I can't be the only one that feels this way?) is the flavor-fatigue you feel while testing your own recipes. For example, I really enjoy banana bread, like a lot, but since I’m currently working on a banana bread recipe and I’ve been eating approximately 2 banana bread slices per hour for the past few days, I don’t think I can look at another banana bread with excitement for the next couple of months. You get to a point where you either freeze the test for later, or gift it to your neighbors and friends.

This job often reminds me of when my mother was hospitalized for I-can’t-remember-what-surgery for a handful of days, while my father was left in charge of feeding me. He fed me hard boiled eggs for breakfast for like, 5 consecutive business days. And in his defense, he knew I really enjoyed them, so he made sure to make me a meal I’d actually enjoy. By day 4, your girl started getting a serious allergy from eating all those eggs. I was probably 6 or 7 years old, and it was the first time I ever had an allergic reaction to anything.

Since I was born a people pleaser, that was the only way my body was able to communicate the fact that hard boiled eggs stopped being my favorite breakfast after eating them for 3 days straight. My father took the hint and switched to sunny side up eggs for the next few days. Just kidding lol. We stopped eating eggs for a while.

And that’s why I’m cooking other meals, outside of recipe development, to keep myself (and my tastebuds) sane. I’ve been leaning towards simple soups, stews and minced meats for those meals. I found a bunch of ground beef on sale at my local grocery store, and I promised myself I’ll make something other than burgers or meatballs with it. That’s how I landed on today’s recipe: a comforting gochujang beef stew with roasted tomatoes and creamy polenta. I’ve had this for 3 days straight for lunch/dinner and I didn’t develop an allergy this time, that’s always a good sign.

You’ll notice the prep time is 5 minutes, there’s literally no chopping or barely any prepping involved. The recipe doesn’t require a lot of ingredients, since we’re only using gochujang to elevate the flavor of our stew. Gochujang is a Korean fermented red chili paste that’s sweet, savory and spicy, all at the same time. I always have a jar of it in my fridge, I love to use it in my soups, marinades and stews. The sweet spiciness of our minced beef is balanced by jammy, roasted tomatoes: they’re juicy, a little sour, a little charred and mostly sweet. Though the stew uses a handful of ingredients, the final result is deeply flavorful. I served it over creamy coconut polenta, but it can also be paired with a crunchy, garlic-rubbed sourdough toast, boiled or roasted potatoes, or fluffy rice. It’s an affordable, comforting meal to help you navigate this awkward in-between-seasons-season.

I hope you’re doing well! I’m very grateful to have you here.

Best,

Carolina

xx

RECIPE

Makes: 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Printable Recipe Here

GochujangBeefStew

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INGREDIENTS

BEEF STEW

• 1 pound (450 to 500 g) 80/20 ground beef

• A whole head of garlic, cut in half, crosswise

• 2 dollops (about 4 tablespoons) gochujang, plus more to taste

• A splash of (about 1/4 cup) red wine, vegetable stock or water

• 2 to 3 pounds (1 to 1.3 kg) cherry tomatoes

• 3/4 to 1 cup vegetable stock, beef stock or water

• A small handful fresh parsley, chopped

• Kosher salt and pepper

• Extra-virgin olive oil

POLENTA

• 1 cup polenta

• 2 to 2 1/2 cups vegetable stock or water

• 1 x 14 oz can full-fat coconut milk

• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

• Extra-virgin olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

Check out the full video here:

Step 1

Heat the oven to 425°F (215°C).

Step 2

In a medium, ovenproof pan or Dutch-oven over medium heat, heat 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the beef and sear for 3 to 5 minutes, occasionally stirring, until you see crusty brown bits on the bottom of the pan or until the beef gets a rich brown color. Season with a big pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Step 3

Add the garlic to the pan, cut side down, and sear. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir in the gochujang until all beef is coated. Add a splash of wine, stock, or water, and deglaze the pan by scraping off all those delicious and flavorful brown bits at the bottom.

Step 4

Add the cherry tomatoes on top, and don’t stir. Allow them to sit on top of the beef. Drizzle a couple more tablespoons of olive oil on top, and season with salt.

Place in the oven an bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cherry tomatoes are slightly charred on top, have their flesh exposed and are visibly softened.

Step 5

Carefully remove the pan out the oven. Crush half of the cherry tomatoes and leave the remaining half whole. If you’re not a fan of tomato peels, they’re very easy to remove by hand. Simply pick them out of there and discard or compost.

Squeeze out the garlic cloves (careful, it’s really hot, you can use a pair of tongues to squeeze out the cloves) and crush them against the sides of the pot with the back of a spoon or spatula.

Step 6

Mix the vegetable stock, beef stock or water until the stew reaches the desired consistency and set aside. I ended up using about 1 cup of stock. Add the parsley and stir to incorporate. Taste, and season more as needed.

Step 7

To make the polenta, in a separate pot over medium heat, add a drizzle of olive oil. Add the polenta and toss in the oil for 3 to 5 minutes until fragrant and toasty. Carefully pour the vegetable stock or water in the pot (stay away from the pan, the stock will immediately start bubbling). Add the coconut milk, a big pinch of salt, black pepper and whisk to combine.

Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium low and continue stirring using a whisk to prevent any clumps from forming. This will take 20 to 30 minutes. To check if your polenta is ready, taste it: if it still feels grainy, it needs more time, if it has a porridge-like consistency that melts in your mouth, it’s ready.

Serve the polenta and stew right away with fresh parsley on top.

MORE GOOD STUFF TO COOK UP THIS WEEK

COCONUT CHICKEN CURRY- A comforting, easy to make, Thai-inspired coconut chicken curry: we’ve got creamy coconut milk, chicken, lots of spices and crispy, sticky rice. If you want to keep this vegetarian or vegan, use butter beans, chickpeas, potatoes or cubed tofu, it’s going to be just as flavorful and comforting.

SPICY PEPPER PASTA- this 30-minute dinner is a staple in my home and the pasta dish comes together so easily . We’re turning sweet and savory roasted peppers into a silky, glossy pasta sauce spiced with chile flakes and herbs. If you’re a fan of pasta alla vodka and a little spice in your life, I think you’ll love this.

CHOCOLATE FETA COOKIES- A flavor-packed dessert that may initially sound a little odd, but tastes so good. Similar to what finishing off chocolate chip cookies with a pinch of flaky salt does, the crumbled feta brings a pleasantly salty balance to this chocolatey situation. The cookies are fudgy, rich and so decadent, and you will come back for seconds.

CHOCOLATE RUM BUTTER FRENCH TOAST - a decadent dessert for breakfast recipe, perfect for a cozy Sunday morning: custardy toast drowned in silky smooth chocolate rum butter.