Beef Stew With Almonds And Dried Fruit Food

BEEF STEW WITH ALMONDS AND DRIED FRUIT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Season beef with salt and pepper. In 2 batches, cook beef until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate. To pot, add remaining 1 teaspoon oil, onion, and garlic and cook over medium until onion is translucent, about 6 minutes. Add wine and cook until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.
• Return beef to pot; stir in broth, bay leaf, parsley sprigs, lemon zest, and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil. Cover, transfer to oven, and cook 45 minutes. Stir in dried fruit and cook, uncovered, until meat is fork-tender, 35 minutes. Stir in almonds; cook 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf, parsley sprigs, and lemon zest. Serve stew over brown rice and top with chopped parsley.

WARM FRUIT STEW

Steps:

• Put the fruit in a frying pan and add the syrup. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, shaking the pan gently to coat the fruit with syrup. Add the butter, a pinch of salt, and the lemon juice, and continue to cook, swirling the fruit and butter around in the pan, another minute, or until the butter has melted.
• Spoon the fruit compote onto 4 plates and place scoops of raspberry sorbet in the center of each serving.
• Variation: To make an uncooked compote of tropical fruits, peel and cup up a ripe mango and a ripe papaya. Put in a bowl and add 1 cup of warm medium sugar syrup and the juices/pulp of 2 ripe passion fruits. Mix in a pinch of salt and chill for 1 hour. Serve with coconut ice cream, or plain in a hollowed-out meringue. For a warm compote put all the fruit in the syrup as above and cook in the same way as the berry compote, then serve on polenta pound cake.
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• Put the sugar and water in a pan. Bring the water to a boil, stirring constantly, until all the sugar is dissolved. Simmer 5 minutes, then let the syrup cool. Use as needed.

FRAGRANT LAMB STEW WITH DRIED FRUITS

Steps:

• -Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat olive oil in bottom of 4 to 5 quart heavy-bottomed Dutch oven.
• Brown cubes of lamb in oil, in batches, remove lamb to plate. Add onions to pot, scraping up brown bits and stirring.
• When softened, add crushed garlic; stir to incorporate, then add carrots.
• Cook 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add curry, salt, pepper, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, lemon zest, cayenne or pepper flakes, and rosemary.
• Stir to mix in well, then add water and wine. Raise heat and let the liquids bubble. Lower heat, then add the tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, and the lamb cubes.
• Add dried fruits, the lemon juice, and the almonds.
• Adjust seasonings to taste, adding more water if the stew seems too thick.
• Add 1/2 cup of cilantro, cover pot, and place in oven for 75 to 90 minutes.
• From time to time, check stew, adding water as needed to keep it moist. When lamb is tender and dried fruits have softened almost enough to become part of the sauce, remove from oven and stir in remaining cilantro.
• Let stew rest 5 minutes and serve.

MOROCCAN APPLE BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Mix salt, cinnamon, pepper and allspice; sprinkle over beef and toss to coat. In a Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. , Brown beef in batches, adding more oil as necessary. Remove beef with a slotted spoon., Add onion to same pan; cook and stir until tender, 6-8 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in tomato sauce, broth, dried plums and honey. Return beef to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 1-1/2 hours. , Add apples; cook, covered, until beef and apples are tender, 30-45 minutes longer. Skim fat. If desired, serve stew with rice or couscous. Freeze option: Freeze cooled stew in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally and adding a little broth if necessary.

CLASSIC, HEARTY BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place beef cubes into a large bowl. Season with kosher salt and black pepper. Add flour and paprika and toss until evenly coated.
• Heat oil in an oven-safe Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the beef cubes in batches until dark brown, about 4 minutes per side. Flip or stir gently with a wooden spoon until all edges are dark brown, 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove beef and set aside.
• Add onions to the beef fat with more salt and pepper; cook and stir until they begin to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and stir until aromatic and soft, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato paste and cook until it turns brown and begins to caramelize and stick to the bottom of the pan. Deglaze with red wine, scraping up the flavorful browned bits on the bottom. Let the wine reduce until almost dry again, about 3 minutes.
• Add dried thyme, dried rosemary, herbes de Provence, and bay leaves. Add 2 cups beef broth and Worcestershire, stir, and bring to a boil. Add the seared beef cubes back into the stew liquid. Remove from heat and cover the pot.
• Braise in the preheated oven until meat is almost tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven. Add carrots, potatoes, and more beef broth if needed. Cover and return to the oven to braise until meat and vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes longer.
• Discard bay leaves. Stir in peas, fresh rosemary, and fresh thyme. Serve hot.

LAVOHN'S BEEF STEW

Steps:

• In a bowl, stir together the flour, black pepper, salt, and garlic powder. Heat canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. Dredge the pieces of beef in the seasoned flour, and brown the beef on all sides in the hot oil.
• Mix together the water, vegetable broth, beef broth, Cabernet wine, thyme, bay leaves, onion, and garlic in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot. Add the beef, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook the stew until beef is very tender and liquid has reduced, about 1 1/2 hours. Stir in the carrots and potatoes, bring back to a boil, and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 more minutes.
• Mix the cornstarch in a small bowl with a little water until smooth, and stir into the stew. Simmer until thickened, stirring constantly. Adjust salt and pepper before serving.

BEEF ROAST WITH FRUIT

Steps:

• Trim fat from beef.
• Cook beef in nonstick Dutch oven over medium heat until brown on all sides; drain. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add wine, onions and tomatoes. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 3 hours.
• Add yams, peaches and pears. Cover and simmer about 30 minutes or until yams and meat are tender.
• Remove beef, fruit and vegetables; keep warm. Skim any fat from liquid in Dutch oven. If necessary, add enough water to liquid to measure 2 cups.
• Mix cornstarch and cold water; gradually stir into liquid. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Serve with beef, fruit and vegetables. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley if desired.