Add This Pantry Staple To Your Beef Stew And You'll Never Turn Back - Tasting Table

"Tomato paste is concentrated tomato, reduced until nearly all its water has cooked off, leaving behind natural sugars, glutamates, and acids. When it's added to hot fat, those sugars caramelize and the glutamates bond with the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Just a few minutes of stirring until the paste darkens from bright red to rust creates a base that's richer than stock-water alone. The acidity then balances the stew's fat, keeping it savory without being flat and greasy."

"A good beef stew should taste balanced and slow, the kind of richly-developed flavor that feels layered. The trick to getting that kind of depth is something most of us keep on hand for just such an occasion: the humble tomato paste. In canned or tube-form (there is a difference), this densely-concentrated pantry staple has been doing the work for centuries in kitchens from Provence to Palermo."

Tomato paste is concentrated tomato reduced until nearly all water is cooked off, leaving sugars, glutamates, and acids that deepen flavor. Added to hot fat the sugars caramelize and glutamates bind with browned pan bits, producing a richer base than stock alone. The resulting acidity balances stew fat and prevents greasiness. Long-braised beef slowly absorbs the caramelized flavors, while a spoonful of deeply pigmented paste boosts color, brightness, and complexity. For best results stir one to two tablespoons per pound of meat into aromatics after searing and sweating, letting the paste darken and smell sweet and nutty before adding broth.

Read at Tasting Table