Ingredients
- 4–5 pounds bone-in flanken stew meat, at room temperature
- neutral oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 3 sweet potatoes, uniformly sized and shaped, peeled and cut into roughly 2-inch slices
- 3–4 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, halved and sliced into roughly 2½-inch slices
- frozen peas (13 oz bag), defrosted
- fresh string beans (as many as you like)
- 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
- kosher salt
- 2 Tbsp baharat + a generous pinch
- 2 Tbsp spicy paprika
- 2 Tbsp sweet paprika
- 1 Tbsp chicken consomme powder (optional)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ground black pepper
- 6–8 marrow bones rounds (optional)
- 6½ cups water, divided
Instructions
- Pat room-temperature beef dry and salt on all sides.
- Heat a large stock pot or Dutch oven and, working in batches, as needed, add a neutral oil and brown meat well on all sides (about 3 minutes per side). Transfer the beef to a plate.
- Add the onion to the pot and sauté until soft and translucent (about 3 minutes). Add ½ tsp kosher salt.
- Return beef to the pot in a uniform layer, and add just enough water to completely cover your meat (about 5 cups). Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, uncovered for 40 minutes.
- While the meat is simmering, prepare your sauce mixture. In a mixing bowl, add a can of tomato paste, baharat, spicy paprika, sweet paprika, 1½ Tbsp salt, cinnamon and chicken consommé. Mix the spice mixture with 1½ cups water to create a watery paste. Add the sauce into the pot. Let it cook for about 10 minutes.
- Add potatoes, sweet potatoes, marrow bones (optional) and the peas. There should be enough liquid in the stew to almost cover all the ingredients, but it’s ok if the tops of the potatoes are not fully covered.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer the stew for about 1 hour. I use the lid to half cover the pot.
- Add string beans to the top of the stew. Sprinkle a generous pinch of salt and baharat on top of the string beans and let the stew simmer for about another 1-1.5 hours.
- Serve over fresh couscous and enjoy!
Notes
- You need prime-grade/well-marbled pieces of meat. I ask my butcher to cut it into 1½-inch-thick cubes. You can also sub out some of the beef for lamb stew meat.
- If you do not have baharat you can easily find a recipe online to create your own spice blend or, in a pinch can substitute ras al hanout. This will alter the taste profile but will still be delicious!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Category: Main
- Method: Slow-Cooking
- Cuisine: Libyan