Oh…the aromas that will fill your house! You’ll need a Moroccan Tajine for this recipe. If you don’t have one, a casserole dish with lid works well. By the way – a tajine is the receptacle and the name of the stew.
Serves 4
1 cinnamon stick about 4” long
1 lb stewing beef, cut into 1” pieces
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
½ a large onion, or 1 small, peeled and cut into ½” wedges
Oil, for sautéing
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
One 2” piece fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 cup diced tomatoes with juices
10 dried apricots, left whole
½ cup peas
½ tsp cardamom
1 bay leaf
2-3 whole star anise
½ tsp fennel seed
¼ tsp Chipotle powder or smoked Spanish paprika
1 1/2 cups beef broth
Steamed rice
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Break the cinnamon stick in two and place in the bottom of the tajine or casserole dish.
In a large cast iron skillet over high heat, brown the meat in batches. Season each batch with salt and pepper. Transfer the meat to the tajine or casserole dish.
Top the meat with the apricots, peas, cardamom, bay leaf, star anise, fennel seed and chipotle powder.
In the same skillet, add the carrots and onion and cook until starting to brown, about 5 minutes. About 1 minute before the carrots are finished browning, add the garlic and ginger. Sauté 1 minute and then add the diced tomatoes; stir well. Transfer the mixture to the tajine.
Pour the beef broth over the entire mixture. No need to stir. Cover with the lid and bake in the oven for 3 ½-4 hours. Do not remove the lid during cooking.
Spoon the beef tajine over steamed rice.
