Beef Stew with Prunes
Description
Sounds odd but the savory-sweet combination is really terrific! Borrowed from Mark Bittman via NYT Cooking, I simplified it a titch and also made it the day before due to timing…really really tasty – enjoy!
Ingredients
olive, avocado or canola oil for browning the beef
~2 lbs. stewing beef (usually chuck), trimmed and cut into 1 or 2 inch cubes (keep them all an even size)
2 T. flour AND 1 T. kosher salt AND 2 t. freshly ground pepper
1 large onion, diced
4 to 6 plum tomatoes, diced OR 1 can (796 mL) diced or whole tomatoes
1 t. sweet paprika (+more to taste as you wish)
1 cinnamon stick AND 1 bay leaf
1 c. EACH chicken broth (strong) AND red wine (that you’d drink)
1 T. brown sugar AND 1 c. pitted prunes, halved
1 T. sherry vinegar (to finish)
chopped parsley for garnish
mashed potatoes, couscous, rice or thickly sliced crusty bread for serving
Instructions
Heat up a couple tablespoons of cooking oil in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven and place the beef, flour, salt and pepper into a large Ziploc and give the mix a good shake. Brown all of the beef, in 2 batches if necessary, over medium high heat and remove to a plate as each piece is done.
In the same pot, cook and stir the onions for a couple of minutes and then add in all of the tomatoes along with a sprinkling of salt and freshly ground pepper. After about 5 minutes when all has softened, stir in the paprika, cinnamon stick, bay leaf and add back in all of the browned beef with it’s juices. Add in the broth and wine, give it a good stir, bring it to a boil, lower it to a simmer and allow it to cook for about a half hour. Make sure to check it and add more broth or water if you feel it’s getting dry.
At this point, remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf , stir in the brown sugar and prunes and then simmer for another half hour – when the beef is beautifully tender, stir in the vinegar. This is where I left it to cool, and then reheated it the following day – it thickens up beautifully! If serving straight away then simmer as needed to get the gravy/sauce to a thickness that you’d like. Taste for seasonings, and serve hot over your side of choice and garnish with some parsley – or in our case, some cheesy baked zucchini.
