Two continents, one deliciously warming dish: Portuguese-style Beef Stew

Beef stew meat, Portuguese chouriço, bell peppers, paprika and potatoes drive the comforting flavor of this hearty stew.

IT SNOWED HALLOWEEN MORNING. The water in the back porch birdbath froze. Okay, so the snow didn’t stick around, and plugging in the birdbath—it’s heated—got it ready for the birds’ drinking and bathing needs again. But still, snow in October. That got us thinking about warm, hearty, meaty stews.

This Portuguese-style beef stew is one of our “based on, based on, based on” recipes, borrowing from many recipes and two different countries on two different continents—Portugal, of course, and Brazil, a former Portuguese colony. So we don’t make any claims of authenticity, but then most traditional recipes have many authentic versions.

It is genuinely delicious. It is meaty and potatoey, tasting of paprika and bell peppers—sublimely comforting when cold weather shows up at your door. You’ll find the recipe here.