Patriot Pan with Fireball and Steps

Ingredients

• 800 g beef stew meat, cubed
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 red bell peppers
• 1 orange bell pepper (for the fireball, halved)
• 1 eggplant
• 1 can diced tomatoes (400 g)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 lemon (juice and zest)
• 2 tsp smoked paprika powder
• 1 red chili pepper, finely chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 300 ml beef stock
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160°C.
2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a Dutch oven and brown the beef on all sides.
3. Add onion, garlic, and chili, sauté for 3 minutes.
4. Add tomato paste, paprika powder, and bay leaves, cook briefly.
5. Add diced tomatoes, stock, lemon juice and zest. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Slice 2 red bell peppers into strips, add to the stew.
7. Cover and stew in the oven for 2 hours until meat is tender.
8. Meanwhile, slice the eggplant lengthwise, brush with oil and grill until dark and soft.
9. Halve the orange bell pepper, remove seeds. Grill the halves until lightly charred.
10. Spoon the stew into a long rectangular oven dish. Place the orange pepper half as a ‘fireball’ at one short end.
11. Lay three grilled eggplant strips diagonally as ‘steps’ across the stew, from the fireball toward the other end.
12. Serve immediately.

Serving notes

• Place the orange pepper as a vivid fireball, half on the stew, half on the rim.
• Let the eggplant strips overlap slightly as steps.
• Serve in a rectangular dish for the harbor effect.