Spicy Beef Stew with Moroccan Spice Rub
The flavor for this recipe comes mainly from the spice rub I put on the meat at the start. The spices and their aromas just get locked into the beef and release during the stewing so each bite is really well flavored. I used a spice mix commonly used in Middle Eastern and Moroccan cooking called ras el hanout. The sauce is tart from the tomatoes and sweet from the pumpkin, carrots, and parsnips and has a heady aroma from the spices. Ladle into your favorite soup bowl and slurp away. This is hearty enough on its own so I usually don't serve any bread with it.
Recipe Summary
Ingredients
Directions
Cook's Notes:
Goat meat or lamb can be used instead of beef. You can use any type of onions or shallots, and try a red wine like Merlot in place of the rose.
If you don't have ras el hanout, substitute with an equal mix of powdered spices such as cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, anise, ground chile peppers, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, peppercorns, and turmeric. You could also add saffron and ground ginger.
Shortcut: if you are in a hurry or simply can't bother with the slow-cooking, use a pressure cooker. After deglazing with the wine, transfer to a pressure cooker and add stock, herbs, etc., as specified above. Put the lid on and once pressure builds, reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes; the time will vary on the type and cut of meat you are using. Once off the heat, wait for the cooker to release pressure before attempting to open it.