Meat With Prunes Recipes

BEEF AND PRUNE TAGINE

Steps:

• Put the butter and oil in a large saucepan.
• When the butter is melted, put in the spices, coriander and onion.
• Let fry for 30 seconds, then add the beef and stir well to coat.
• Cover the meat with a cup of water and the saffron mixture.
• The water should be just over halfway up the meat.
• Bring to the boil and then lower to a gentle simmer.
• Add half the prunes and cook for 1-1/2 hours until the meat becomes tender and juicy.
• Keep the pot mostly covered during this time -- the only time I lift the cover is for a few seconds if the heat builds too much and it starts to boil. You need to keep this dish at a very low simmer.
• Add remaining prunes along with the honey, salt and pepper.
• Simmer for another 30 minutes or until the meat is tender and the liquid has thickened and reduced.
• Serve with the sesame seeds and almonds on top.

BEEF STEW WITH PRUNES

Steps:

• Place a deep skillet or casserole that can be covered over medium-high heat, and add oil. Brown meat well on all sides, seasoning with salt and pepper, for 10 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon.
• In same pot over medium-high heat, sauté onion and tomatoes with a large pinch of salt and some pepper. When they soften, about 5 minutes, stir in paprika, cinnamon, and bay leaf. Return meat to pan, and add stock and wine; bring to a boil, then lower heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. If mixture starts to dry, add a little water or stock.
• Remove cinnamon and bay leaf, and stir in sugar and prunes. Simmer until prunes and meat are soft, another 30 to 45 minutes. (Dish can be made in advance to this point; let sit for a few hours, or cover and refrigerate for up to a day before reheating and proceeding.) When meat is very tender, uncover pot and add vinegar; if necessary, raise heat so sauce thickens and becomes glossy. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve hot, garnished with parsley.

SPICED BEEF WITH STOUT & PRUNES

Steps:

• Pat the beef dry using kitchen paper. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large flameproof casserole, and fry the beef in batches over a high heat until browned on all sides. Transfer the browned batches to a bowl using a slotted spoon as you continue frying the remainder.
• When all the meat is browned, heat another 1 tbsp oil in the casserole, and fry the onion for 12 mins until soft and pale golden. Stir in the allspice, cloves, cinnamon stick, juniper berries, and a generous grating of nutmeg.
• Pour in the stout and cook over a medium heat until it has reduced by half. Stir in the stock, carrots, sugar, bay leaves and some seasoning. Return the browned meat to the pan, and bring the mixture the boil. When it's boiling, immediately reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook for 1 hr 30 mins, stirring and checking the seasoning every so often. In the last 20 mins of cooking time, stir in the prunes (if you do this any sooner, the prunes will fall apart).
• Meanwhile, peel the baby onions and fry these in a small frying pan in the remaining oil over a medium-low heat until golden on the outside and soft in the middle (you may need to add a little stock or water to the pan to help them soften, if they're slightly bigger). The baby onions should be tender, but not falling apart. Stir these into the braise, check the seasoning again, and scatter over the chopped parsley before serving.

PRUNE CAKE

Steps:

• Combine prunes and water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until prunes are tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a fluted tube pan (such as a Bundt®).
• Mix flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, allspice, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt together in a mixing bowl. Combine vegetable oil, 1 cup buttermilk, and eggs in a separate bowl; pour them into the flour mixture. Mix until fully incorporated. Use an electric mixer to blend in the drained prunes; the mixer will break them up a bit. Stir in the chopped pecans.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven until a tester comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Remove cake from oven and allow it to cool for at least 10 minutes on a wire rack.
• To make icing, combine 1 cup sugar, margarine, 1/2 cup buttermilk, vanilla extract, and corn syrup in a saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for a full 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Invert cake onto a platter and pour hot icing over the cake.

BEEF BRISKET WITH MERLOT AND PRUNES

Steps:

• Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 325°F. Pat brisket dry; sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Heat oil in heavy extra-large skillet over high heat. Add brisket and cook until deep brown, about 7 minutes per side. Transfer brisket, fat side up, to large roasting pan. Add tomatoes with juice and wine to skillet. Remove from heat, scrape up any browned bits, and pour mixture over brisket. Distribute onions, carrots, and garlic around brisket. Add prunes and thyme; drizzle with 1/2 cup prune juice and 3 tablespoons vinegar. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place pan over 2 burners and bring to boil. Cover pan with heavy-duty foil; place in oven.
• Braise brisket until tender, about 3 hours 15 minutes. Uncover and cool 1 hour at room temperature. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover with foil and chill. Bring just to simmer over 2 burners before continuing.
• Remove brisket from roasting pan, scraping off juices. Place on work surface;cut across grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices.Spoon off fat from top of pan juices. Place 1 cup vegetables (no prunes) and 1 cup braising liquid from pan into processor and puree. Return puree to pan. Add remaining 1 tablespoon prune juice and 1 teaspoon vinegar to pan. Heat sauce; season with salt and pepper.
• Overlap brisket slices in 13x9x2- inch glass baking dish. Pour sauce over brisket, separating slices to allow some sauce to flow between. DO AHEAD:Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.
• Rewarm brisket, covered, in 350°F oven for 30 minutes. Sprinkle brisket with parsley; serve.
• More info:
• Use a slender metal pin, like a turkey lacer, to check whether the brisket is tender. Insert the pin into the thickest part; if it meets no resistance, the brisket is done.
• What to drink:
• You used Merlot to cook the brisket, so why not pour a Merlot as well? Try the Yarden 2002 Merlot ($22), produced at a winery in Israel's Golan Heights. The kosher wine has ripe plum flavors and a spicy finish.

CHOCOLATE AND PRUNE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Cut the prunes into strips and put them in a bowl with the vodka, set aside for an hour to make them swell and become more moist.
• Heat the oven to 180C/gas 160C/gas 4. For the base, combine 1 egg with 160g sugar, ½ tsp vanilla, the oil and yogurt. Sift the flour with the cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and a large pinch salt. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, and finally add the coffee and mix everything together. Line the bottom of a 24cm springform pan with baking parchment and oil the sides. Pour the dough into the base, put it in the oven and bake it for 20 mins.
• For the filling, beat the curd cheese with the remaining sugar, potato flour, 3 eggs and ½ tsp vanilla. Drain the prunes and add them in. Pour the cheese mixture over the base and put it back in the oven for 50-60 minutes. Cool in the turned off oven.
• For the topping, bring the cream to a boil, and add the chocolate and butter. Mix off the heat until it forms a smooth cream. Pour the sauce over the top of the cooled cheesecake cake. Chop the pistachios and sprinkle them over the surface.