Persian Beef Stew

Last night, we had this interesting beef stew that we both loved so much that I am doubling the recipe for my blog.  I'm not sure why Hannah Freese, RD only made it for two people but we both definitely ate 100% (minus the amount that Bruce dribbled down his shirt when he tried to tip the bowl up to his mouth to get every last little drop)!   It would have been nice to have some leftover so we could experience this lovely dish again today.  I'm sure the flavors would have been enhanced as it sat overnight making it a great leftover meal.  It has turmeric and dried pitted prunes, a persian-inspired mixture of ingredients.  We loved it.  It is from my collection of Hannah Freese, RD's recipes that I never got around to making.  She is no longer doing her online diet program but I joined her program during my joint replacement saga of 2019-2021 and it made a big difference in lowering my inflammation.  She basically substituted healthy fats and carbs for the not-so-healthy ones and made it as easy as possible to do with lots of support and delicious recipes like this one.  Many of her recipes are on my blog now since we are still eating this way and I still have so many of her recipes I haven't even tried yet.  I will probably keep adding to the collection - a good way to start the New Year.  Most of her recipes are very easy to make, too, so they make for a quick evening meal to throw together quickly.  

I changed this recipe around a bit because it calls for stew meat which seems to always be pretty tough meat. So, I made it in the morning and let it simmer all day and the meat turned out very tender.  Or you could put it all in a slow-cooker/crockpot and let it slow cook all day.  Next time I will cut up the prunes more so they are dispersed among the stew more.  The recipe calls for slicing them in half but I thought they were still too big and Bruce agreed but they were still very tasty.  The recipe below will have the changes I plan to make the next time I make this recipe because I definitely plan to make it again when we feel like stew with a persian flare to it.  

Makes 4 servings

2 tsp. olive oil
2 yellow onions, chopped
1 pound stewing beef, cubed
4 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp. turmeric
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
3 cups water
6 carrots, cut into 2 inch sticks
1 cup pitted prunes, cut in quarters or smaller

1.  Heat the oil in a pot over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown.  Add the beef and brown on all sides. 

2.  Add the garlic, salt, pepper, turmeric, and tomato paste to the pot.  

3. Cook for another 2 minutes and add the water to the pot.

4.  Turn down the heat to simmer, cover the pot with a lid, and cook the beef for 1-1/2 hours minimum or longer if you want super tender meat.  I simmered it for 5 hours.  

5.  Add the carrots and prunes to the stew.  Give it a stir and add more water if necessary.  

6.  Cover the pot with a lid and cook for another 30 minutes until everything is cooked through.  Enjoy!