The first time I made this stew, perhaps 20 or more years ago, I cooked it in a ceramic tagine hand made by my potter friend Bob Fishman. I shared the recipe on The Perfect Pantry in 2015, and made it again recently with my friend Liz. We cooked it in a heavy pot on the stovetop, and swapped cumin, which I always have on hand, for ras el-hanout. As a treat, we used turmeric that Liz had brought from a recent trip to Dubai. Yum.
Serves 4-6. The recipe can be doubled easily, and can be frozen.
Ingredients
1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced into half-moons
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1-1/2 lb beef stew meat, cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp saffron threads
1/4 tsp ras-el hanout (if you don't have it, use cumin instead)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup dried apricots, soaked in hot water for at least 30 minutes, drained
3-4 Tbsp agave nectar
Sliced scallions and/or sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
Directions
Spread the onion and garlic slices in a Dutch oven or heavy 6- or 8-quart pot.
Dry the cubes of beef with paper towels, and add to a large mixing bowl. Toss in the cinnamon, salt, pepper, turmeric, saffron, ras el hanout, and olive oil. With your very clean hands, mix everything together, making sure the spices are distributed throughout the meat. [Note: your hands will get a little bit yellow from the saffron and turmeric, so if you don't like that, wear gloves.]
Add the meat to the pot, cover, and set the heat to the lowest possible simmer. Cook for 1 hour. If the meat is sticking to the pan, pour in a few tablespoons of water.
In a glass measuring cup, place 1 cup of dried apricots. Cover with water, and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Remove, and set aside to let the fruit rehydrate a bit.
After the dish has been cooking for 1 hour, drain the apricots and add them to the beef, along with the agave nectar. Stir, cover, and continue to cook for 1-1/2 hours, until the beef is completely falling-apart tender.
At that point, uncover the pot, and cook until almost all of the liquid has evaporated. Stir frequently to keep the stew from sticking. Taste, and adjust as needed with more agave nectar, salt and pepper.
Serve hot, over couscous or rice.
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