by Mettch
View
my 4 other recipes »
Photo by Sarah Shatz
A&M's Testing Notes:
Expand CollapseMettch's Notes:
Expand
2 pounds
beef or veal; cheeks, chuck or foreshank
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
2
yellow onions
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
2
celery branches
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
1
garlic
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
2
carrots
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
1/3 cup
all-purpose flour
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
2 tablespoons
butter
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
1/3 cup
cherry or balsamic vinegar
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
7 ounces
slightly macerated prunes
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
1 pinch
red pepper flakes
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
4
bay leafs
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
4
rosemary branches
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
4
inces licorice root
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
4.5 cups
beef stock or water
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
3 cups
malt beer
Ask the
hotline about
this ingredient!
Remove all tendons and fat from the meat. If the pieces are very large, cut them into smaller ones. Pat the meat dry, and then season. generously with salt and pepper and let it rest in the fridge for at least one hour, preferable overnight.
Ask the hotline about this step!Chop onions, celery, garlic and carrots into smaller pieces.
Ask the hotline about this step!Dredge the meat in flour seasoned with salt and pepper.
Ask the hotline about this step!Heat the butter in a large and deep pan and brown the meat on all sides. Make sure not to crowd the pan. When meat is browned transfer to a plate.
Ask the hotline about this step!Add the vegetables and chili and saute until it starts to change color.
Ask the hotline about this step!Add vinegar to the vegetables and cook until almost all of the vinegar has evaporated.
Ask the hotline about this step!Add back the meat as well as the prunes, bay leafs, rosemary and licorice root. Finally add stock/water and the malt beer.
Ask the hotline about this step!Bring to a simmer and skim off any fat.
Ask the hotline about this step!Cover and let simmer for 3-4 hours, until the meat is tender and falling apart by itself. Skim off fat, should there be some.
Ask the hotline about this step!Remove the meat from the put and keep it warm. Also remove bay leaf, rosemary and licorice root.
Ask the hotline about this step!Pass the sauce through a sieve and reduce until you think its consistency is as you prefer it. Add sugar, salt, pepper and vinegar in quantities according to you taste.
Ask the hotline about this step!You can choose to either add the "old" vegetables or add some new ones to the sauce. In any case, add the prunes and the meat and heat thoroughly.
Ask the hotline about this step!This sounds fabulous, I can't wait to try it! The addition of licorice root is inspired.
What a wonderful combination of flavors.
I am really happy you posted this recipe. The combination of ingredients here are really unique to any of the stews I have ever come across in my collection of cookbooks, and include some of my favorites (I love macerated dried fruits in savory dishes). Will try as soon as I can find the licorice root.
Thanks for this recipe, I can't wait to try it! The beef & licorice combination reminds me of a braised beef shank / tendon stew that my mother used to make. She used star anise and white turnips, braised the beef slowly, and served it on the "soupy" side over wide rice noodles.
Licorice, beer, and balsamic vinegar all in the same stew? This may just have become my all-time favorite stew, and I haven't even tasted it yet.
Lovely!
gorgeous. Perfect valentine's day stay in dinner too since licorice is an aphrodisiac! Will give this a try using Belgian dark beer :-)
Tillykke - det lyder meget lækkert!
My licorice-loving family will love this recipe!
Rick Field is the founder of the pickle company Rick's Picks.
photo 1 of 21
photo 2 of 21
The brandy politely waiting for the prunes to be measured so it can macerate them.
photo 3 of 21
Nicely marbled beef cubes.
photo 4 of 21
Merrill seasons the beef with salt and pepper, and then we let it sit at room temperature until we were done chopping.
photo 5 of 21
As we were reminded, stews involve a lot of chopping up front, and then a whole lot of nothing once they start simmering. We discovered that we're good at filling up the nothing time with YouTube clips of Lady Gaga.
photo 6 of 21
This, friends, is licorice root. A thicker twig than usual. Scratch 'n sniff -- you'll get a spicy licorice aroma.
photo 7 of 21
Merrill coats the beef in flour. Butter melts in the Dutch oven.
photo 8 of 21
The flour dusting on the meat is perfect -- thanks Merrill! -- it's light and not at all clumpy.
photo 9 of 21
It developed a good nut-brown crust, just as we'd hoped.
photo 10 of 21
If your last batch of meat doesn't cover the base of the pan, it's a good idea to add the vegetables to the other half of the pan so the butter doesn't burn.
photo 11 of 21
In goes lush balsamic vinegar.
photo 12 of 21
Then macerated prunes and rosemary.
photo 13 of 21
Starting to look great and it hasn't even begun stewing!
photo 14 of 21
Amanda has some technical difficulties opening the malt beer. Also, don't you love that brand name?
photo 15 of 21
We don't know *what* is going on here -- and we hadn't even drunk any of the beer yet.
photo 16 of 21
Beef in a beer bath.
photo 17 of 21
Two hours later, spooning out the beef, prunes and vegetables.
photo 18 of 21
Straining the broth, which is a rich, glossy brown.
photo 19 of 21
Separating the beef, prunes and carrots from the rest of the vegetables, which get a little soggy in the stewing process.
photo 20 of 21
Reducing th broth.
photo 21 of 21
Dinner time!
This looks completely delicious. I LOVE licorice and make an ice cream using licorice tea, which has a very subtle taste of licorice and is a beautiful fawn color. I suspect liking licorice is linked to a gene as there ARE countries where people love it - Denmark, Holland, Australia, even Italy. When someone tells me they like licorice except for the black kind, I tell them that other stuff isn't licorice, it's gummy candy.
I am making this on Saturday! Thanks.