| Red Wine Beef Stew with Apricots and Prunes |
This recipe is good with either beef or lamb.
The secret ingredient is time. The longer and slower you cook this stew
the better it will taste.
Sides: couscous, noodles, or just great crusty bread. |
| Serves 6 |
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| Ingredients | Directions |
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3 Lb stew meat (such as beef chuck or leg of lamb) cut into 2" cubes Olive oil for frying |
Preheat oven to 450F. Dry the meat well on paper towels. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a large fire proof casserole (9-10" in diameter by 3" deep) over moderately high heat . Brown meat on all sides in batches, keeping meat cubes from touching each other in the casserole. Remove meat to a large bowl and set aside. Add more oil between batches as needed. |
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2 sliced carrots 1 sliced onion 3 mashed garlic cloves |
Add vegetables to the casserole, reduce heat to med-low, and cook covered until brown, stirring occasionally, 7-8 minutes. |
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1 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 2 Tbsp flour |
Add the meat and its juices back to the casserole. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the flour over the meat and vegetables and stir well. Put the casserole in the oven for 4 minutes. Toss, and return to the oven for 4 more minutes. Remove casserole from the oven and turn the oven down to 325F. |
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1 bottle red wine (e.g. Cabernet, Shiraz, Pinot Noir) 2-3 cups beef stock 1 Tbsp tomato paste 1 bay leaf A sprig of rosemary (optional) |
Add wine, stock, tomato paste, bay leaf, and rosemary to the casserole and bring to simmer on top of the stove, stirring to dissolve tomato paste. Cover the casserole, set it in the middle of the oven, and cook for 3 hours. If you have time, use a lower temperature and cook longer: 300F for 4 hours, 275F for 5 hours. |
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12 dry apricots 12 prunes 1/3 cup golden raisins |
One hour before the end of cooking time, add dry fruit to the casserole. The stew can be eaten on the day it was cooked, or reheated for up to 4 days. |