Beef and White Bean Stew With Cumin

This homey one-pot stew—from Leah Koenig’s latest cookbook, Portico: Cooking and Feasting in Rome’s Jewish Kitchen—is much brighter than its short ingredient list might indicate. That’s all thanks to the technique of slowly building layered flavor with beef fond, aromatics, spices, and acidic tomatoes. 

This stellar dish is akin to beef chili and a hallmark of Rome’s Libyan Jewish cuisine, which, as Koenig writes, “boasts an abundance of meat, vegetable, and legume-based stews—saucy, spicy medleys that pair perfectly with couscous.” This version includes tomatoes, cumin, and hot paprika, giving it particularly deep, warm flavors. “With a mix of tender beef and white beans swimming in a velvety sauce,” Koenig adds, “it is a staple on Shabbat and holiday tables.”