North African Beef Stew

Ah, stew. You accomplish so many things.

1) You use up my ever-reproducing supply of broth.
2) You make lots of leftovers that always reheat well.
3) You give me lots of wiggle room for cooking time so I can ignore you during the day.
4) You are oh-so-tasty.

This is a lovely stew. A more traditional version would have some garbanzo beans in it, but I just bulked mine up with the addition of a bit more beef and carrots. Served over whipped potatoes, this was a great dinner and the flavors are really kid-friendly. I'm totally making this the next time we have another family over for dinner.

The Tools:

6 qt. crockpot

3 lbs beef stew meat
6 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 cup dried apricots, cut into quarters
1/2 cup golden raisins
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne
3 cups beef stock

The Process:

If you have time, brown the beef in batches on the stovetop. (I frequently do this the night before, since the little people in my house require so much attention in the mornings.) If you don't have time, don't sweat it.

If you're prone to heartburn (like me, ever since I had my second child) go ahead and saute your onions on the stovetop before you add them to the crockpot. Add the spices and garlic towards the end of the cooking time, letting them get warm and fragrant. Scrape it all off into the crockpot, and then using a few tablespoons of stock, deglaze your pan.

Add the rest of your ingredients to the crockpot and mix well. If you didn't brown your beef or saute your onions, this is literally a "combine it all, stir it up and forget it" recipe for you.

Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours. It's hearty enough to serve on it's own, but if you want to stretch it a bit, serve it over some whipped potatoes.

Enjoy!