This Beef, Apple & Prune Tagine is a flavorful stew combining tender chuck roast with sweet apples and prunes, seasoned with aromatic spices for a comforting dish perfect for sharing.
INGREDIENTS
Serves 4 people
Ingredient | Quantity | Notes |
Chuck Roast | 1 2/3 lb | fatty cut, do not use a lean cut of beef, the chuck creates such a superior stew |
Onion | 2/3 | large, diced |
Garlic | 3 1/3 clove | smashed |
Ground Cumin | 2/3 tsp | |
Ground Coriander | 1/3 tsp | |
Chili Powder | 1/3 tsp | |
Chicken Stock | 1 2/3 cup | |
Canned Whole Tomatoes | 14.5 oz can | |
Apples | 1 1/3 | cored, large diced |
Prunes | 2/3 cup | |
Japanese Sweet Potato | 2/3 | large, 1 potato = about 1.5lbs or a bit less, large diced |
Cilantro | 2/3 cup | generous cup, chopped |
PREPARATION
Brown the beef and preheat the oven to 350 °F ( 177 °C).
Remove any large pieces of fat and cut into 1” cubes. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1 TB olive oil to a heavy bottomed pot with a lid. Careful not to overcrowd the pan, add the beef and brown on all sides. Remove. You may need to do this in two batches. Browning the beef is what gives your stew depth of flavor!
In the same pan,
add the onion, garlic, cumin, coriander and chili powder. Stir and cook 2-3 minutes until onion has some nice color on it. Add the tomatoes to the pan, gently squeezing them as they go in to break them up a bit. Include all of the liquid from the can. Stir, scraping the bottom to release any brown bits stuck to the pan and cook one minute. Next add the chicken stock and the cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil. Add the beef.
Cover and cook 1 ½ hours.
While it is cooking, make sure all of your vegetables are prepped. I do not peel the apple or the sweet potato. There are many nutrients in the peels! I aim to cut the apples and the sweet potato to about the same size, a nice bite sized cube.
After the 1 ½ hours, remove the pot.
Add in the apples, prunes, sweet potato and chopped cilantro (reserve a bit for garnish). Stir to combine, careful not to break up the pieces of beef. Re-cover and continue cooking an additional 45 minutes.
Remove from the oven.
Scatter a few more cilantro leaves on top and a bit of sea salt. Serve with a green salad, Roasted Red Cabbage or crusty bread. Enjoy.