dish
Jardineira
By Carlos Prata
A hearty Portuguese stew combining beef with a colourful medley of seasonal vegetables.
Jardineira, literally "gardener's stew," is a vibrant one-pot dish that marries cubed beef or veal with potatoes, carrots, peas, green beans, turnips, and sometimes broad beans. The meat is first browned and then braised slowly with the vegetables.
The dish exemplifies the Portuguese talent for transforming humble ingredients into satisfying meals. It is quintessential home cooking, rarely found in restaurants but beloved at family tables across the country.