Beef With Red Wine and Pine Nuts

Submitted by R. Warren Meddoff

"The consumption of meat in Spain has always been an indicator of social standing. An old expression holds that it is better to have two mouthfuls of beef than seven of potatoes. This sustaining, rich Castilian stew may help you decide. From 'The Spanish Kitchen' by Clarissa Hyman"

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 10mins
• Ingredients: 9
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 36 ounces stewing beef, cut into large cubes and seasoned with salt and ground black pepper
• 1 1⁄4 cups prunes, pitted
• 1 dozen shallot, peeled
• 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced thickly
• 2 1⁄4 cups red wine
• 3⁄8 cup pine nuts, toasted or 3/8 cup chopped fresh parsley
• salt and black pepper
• 1 glass red wine

directions

1. Heat the oil in a lidded casserole over medium heat, and brown beef on all sides.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the pinenuts or parsley.
3. Cover and cook over a low heat for 2 hours or until the meat is tender, stirring occasionally. Flavor deepens if served the day after cooking. When reheated, serve sprinkled with toasted pine nuts or parsley.

Reviews

[Charlotte J]

Excellent. I did not know what to expect from this recipe but I was so pleased. This was easy to prepare. The meat was browned in 4 batches and the extra oil poured off the pan. Then I deglazed the pan with 1/4 cup of the wine before adding all the ingredients back into the pan. Cabernet Sauvignon was the wine I used. I had bought 4 - 3 ounce bags of shallots which contained 11 shallots. After cleaning and dividing there were 18 that weighed 12.5 ounces, 12 of them weighed 9 ounces. All 18 shallots were used. The aroma was wonderful as it cooked. After 1 hour the meat was tender so I added the pine nuts. I might have had 1/2 cup of sauce in the bottom of the pan which was so good with the hard roll dipped in it. Oh yes, the 12.5 ounces of shallots worked perfect. Served with roasted vegetables seasoned with Herbes de Provence and hard rolls. My daughter was turning her nose up at this because of the prunes and my son was going to eat a tuna sandwich. But I won, they tried it and LOVED it. So I'll be making this again, thank you for posting this delicious recipe. Made for *Bargin Basement 2009* game