When we were little, my sisters and I used to eat Dinty Moore Beef Stew all the time. We would pour the stuff over steamed white rice and mix in some Korean hot pepper paste, goh-choo-jahng. We're grown up now, so we know better. Skip the the goh-choo jahng and mix in some chopped kimchee.

Really, though, the stuff is absolutely horrible. Canned beef stew, that is. But real beef stew, slow-cooked until the meat is as soft as room temperature butter and the vegetables have practically melted into a caramel mess in the sauce, is incredible. Estofado Catalan is a beef stew with its origins in the Catalonia region of Spain. It's often made with meaty, fatty shortribs, but for the New-Year's-resolutions-conscious guests at my dinner party, I used a slightly leaner cut of beef. It's okay, though, since long, slow cooking takes care of what could potentially be tough.

Sarah J. Gim's Interpretation of Estofado Catalan

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Wash, pat dry, and cut into large chunks about 5 pounds of beef. This can be in the form of short ribs, though I used a few cuts of beef tri-tip. Generously salt and pepper the meat, then brown the meat pieces in a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large, deep pan (or pot) over medium high heat. Remove the meat to a separate plate. If you have an oven-safe pot or deep casserole type dish, use it to brown the meat and eventually cook the whole dish. I don't have one, so I used a regular saute pan for the stove-top browning process, and a large rectangular baking dish for the oven-cooking process.

Cook 2 large carrots that have been peeled and cut into 1½-2" long pieces, 2 large onions that have been cut into eighths, and 3-4 crushed garlic cloves in the same pan for about 10 minutes. Add 1 cup red wine and 1 cup dry sherry to the vegetables and cook for another 10 minutes to reduce the liquids to about half.

Add 1 15 oz. can plum tomatoes that have been crushed by hand, 5 cups beef stock, ½ cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley, the zest-only peel from one orange, a sprig of thyme, a bay leaf, and the beef to the pot. Bring to a boil over the stove top, then remove, cover and bake in the pre-heated oven. The length of time will vary depending on your oven and how big you cut the meat, but mine took 3½ hours before the meat was as tender as I wanted it.

You can serve it as is, but I removed the orange peel, thyme and bay leaf. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve with the rest of your Spanish meal. Or rice, polenta, or even smashed potatoes. And don't forget the sangria.