Beef Stew With Dried Cherries Recipes

BEEF STEW WITH DRIED CHERRIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Cut beef into 1 inch cubes. Combine flour, salt, allspice, cinnamon and pepper in a plastic bag. Add beef cubes to bag and shake, coating pieces evenly. Spray a heavy nonstick skillet with nonstick vegetable spray and heat over medium high heat. Add 1/3 of the beef cubes and cook until browned on all sides, stirring frequently (about 5 minutes). Don't crowd the skillet. Transfer meat to a heavy Dutch oven. Repeat with remaining meat in two more batches, ending with all of the browned meat in the Dutch oven.
• Reduce heat to medium. Add oil to skillet. Add onions and cherries. Cook over medium heat until onions are soft and light brown, about 10 minutes (you are basically making caramelized onions). Stir frequently, scraping up all the browned bits from the meat and incorporating into the onions. Mix in the sugar, vinegar and water. Increase heat to medium high and cook until onions brown, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.
• Add onion mixture to the beef in the Dutch oven. Mix in wine, stock and mushrooms. Cover and bake until the beef is tender, about 2 hours. Uncover stew during last 30 minutes of baking if the liquid is still too thin. Add a small amount of beef stock or red wine is it is too dry.
• Serve with rice or noodles to sop up the great sauce.
• Can be made ahead and reheated before serving.

LEVANTINE BEEF WITH CHERRIES

Steps:

• Mix beef cubes and recipe #458575.
• Peel and cube onions, slice, seed and finely chop chilies.
• Peel garlic cloves.
• Drip cherries and reserve juice.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet and brown beef cubes in batches, about 5-10 minutes. Set aside and fry onions, about 5-8 minutes.
• Add chilies, fry one more minute, then add garlic.
• Stir fry 30 seconds, then add cherry juice and stock.
• Add beef and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender.
• Add cherries, simmer for additional 10-15 minutes.
• Add salt and more recipe #458575 to taste.
• Add chopped walnuts and serve with rice or couscous.