Alexander's Stew

[phatj]

Alexander's Stew

Serves 8 as Main Dish.

This is a deliciously different beef stew. Highly recommended for people tired of carrots, celery and potatoes.

I have also made it with lamb instead of beef, thinking that the seasonings would be great with lamb, but somehow, the "lambiness" is mostly lost in this dish, so I'd stick with beef chuck because it's generally cheaper and easier to deal with than lamb.

• 3 lb beef chuck roast, cubed
  
• 2 large onions, chopped
  
• 5 cloves garlic, sliced (optional)
  
• 1/2 c dry white wine
  
• 1/4 c red wine vinegar
  
• 1 tsp cumin
  
• 1 tsp cinnamon
  
• 1 tsp dried oregano
  
• 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
  
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  
• 6 oz tomato paste (1 small can)
  
• 1 c fresh parsley, minced
  
• 1 bay leaf
  
• 1/2 tsp sugar
  
• 1 c chopped walnuts or toasted pine nuts
  
• 8 oz feta cheese, crumbled
  

Easy version:

1. Preheat oven to 325 F.

2. Combine all ingredients except cheese and nuts in a bowl. Transfer to a casserole dish or dutch oven, cover and bake for two hours or until meat is tender.

3. Serve over hot rice or noodles and top with feta and nuts.

Better version (still pretty easy):

1. Combine cumin, cinnamon, oregano, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Toss beef cubes with ~1/2 of spice mixture, reserving remainder. This ideally should be done several hours to one day in advance.

2. Preheat oven to 325 F.

3. In a large (5 qt or more) dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high heat, brown beef cubes in batches. Use a small amount of olive or neutral oil. Set beef aside.

4. Add onions to pot along with a little salt. Saute until slightly browned. Bottom of pot should deglaze as onions give up moisture.

5. Return meat to pot and add remaining ingredients except nuts and cheese. Mix well and bring to a simmer, then cover and bake for two hours or until meat is tender.

6. Serve over hot rice or noodles and top with feta and nuts.

Keywords: Main Dish, Easy, Beef, Dinner, Mediterranean

( RG1919 )