Penne with Stewed Beef and Parmagiano Reggiano

Comfort food recipe?
I didn't think about it before making this dish,
However, after tasting the pasta, it totally reminds me of comfort food.

So just out of my curiosity,
What is your all time comfort food?
My list can goes on forever,
Stew pork with soy sauce base, Tom Yum soup, pho, curry, country friend chicken, even chocolate bread pudding,
Man, I really love food,
All the dishes just appeared to be so "comforting,"

"Greedy"

Penne with stewed beef and parmagiano reggiano-

Ingredients (for 3 to 4 plates)?

1 large box of penne
2 lbs of beef (for roasting, cut into large bite sizes)
3 ripe tomatoes (cubed)
6 carrots (I'm using the skinny kind, use less if the carrots are bigger)
3 to 4 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
1 medium sized onion (chopped)
2 cups of flavored beef stock
1/3 cup red wine
Olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Red pepper flakes
Parmigiano reggiano

How?

I highly recommend making the stew early since it'll take about 2 hours from the beginning till the end,
You can simply making it one or two days ahead,
The flavor is even better when you leave it in the fridge overnight!

So let's start with the stew,
Drizzle some olive oil in a big pot,
Toss in chopped onions, add about 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes,
Cook till the onion turned slightly translucent, add the minced garlic.
Give it a quick stir, add the cubed beef and sprinkle more salt,
Sear it till both sides turned slightly brown, toss in carrots and tomatoes.

Cook for about couple more minutes, pour in red wine and beef stock,
For the red wine, just use something you enjoy drinking regularly,
Fruiter the better.

Bring the mixture to a boil then turn to medium low heat,
Put on the lid and let it simmer for about 2 hours,
During the stewing process,
Remember to scoop out the dirty bits floating on top,
By doing so you'll get a better, cleaner taste stew.
Also don't forget to taste it and see if more salt are needed.

When you're ready to mix the stew with pasta,
Have a big pot of water ready, bring to a boil and sprinkle some salt,
Toss in the penne and cook according to the package instruction.

When the pasta is ready, drain well and pour into the stew mixture,
Add 1 cup of grated parmigiano reggiano and stir well,
I also added some chopped parsley and grated parma before serving.

One hearty dish.

Cindy's Rating: 7