Beef
North African beef and root vegetable stew
This is a lovely, warming stew replete with subtle North African spices. It's simple to make and reheats excellently. There's no need to be at all exact about the root veg you use – just take whatever's in your box and chop them all to a similar size. This is good served with couscous for soaking up the rich juices.
Ingredients
- 450g diced beef or beef braising steak, each piece cut in half
- oil for frying, e.g. vegetable or sunflower
- 800g mixed root veg - carrots, celeriac, parsnips, swede, peeled and chopped into chunks or lengths
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2cm piece fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tbsp ras al hanout (North African spice blend)
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 150ml red wine
- 400ml beef stock
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 tin cooked chickpeas
- 100g pitted prunes
- handful fresh parsley, chopped
- handful fresh coriander, chopped
- seeds from 1 pomegranate
Method
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Step 1
Fry the beef in a little oil to brown on all sides. Remove from the pan. Add the roots, except the onion, and fry to colour slightly. Remove from the pan. Add a splash more oil if needed, turn the heat right down and add the onion.
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Step 2
Fry gently for 10 minutes to soften without colouring.
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Step 3
Add the garlic, ginger, ras al hanout and garam masala. Stir for 2 minutes.
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Step 4
Add the beef back to the pan with the wine. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the stock, root veg and cinnamon.
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Step 5
Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Keep an eye on the liquid and top up with more stock or water if needed (check your heat too, it may be too high).
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Step 6
Add the chickpeas and prunes. Simmer for a further 15 minutes. Sprinkle over the herbs and pomegranate seeds to serve.