CINNAMON BEEF STEW WITH ORANGE GREMOLATA

CINNAMON BEEF STEW WITH ORANGE GREMOLATA image

Yield 6 bowls

Number Of Ingredients 23

3 #'s beef stew meat, cut into 1" cubes
salt & pepper to taste
3 T coconut oil
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium celery stalk, finely chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
2 T tomato paste
1/2 C beef broth
1 T balsamic vinegar
3-5 C water
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp sage
2 cinnamon sticks
ORANGE GREMOLATA:
2 T parsley leaves, chopped
zest from 1 orange
1/2 tsp tried thyme
2 tsp minced garlic

Steps:

Sprinkle the beef generously with salt and pepper. In a large pot, heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat, then add the meat in batches and sear on all sides. It's important that you don't overcrowd the pan. The meat needs air around it to achieve a crisp brown crust. With tongs or a slotted spoon, remove the browned pieces to a bowl to catch their juices. Repeat with remaining cubes. In the same pot, sauté the chopped carrot, onion, celery and garlic for about 2 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the tomato paste and stir for about 1 min. Add the broth and vinegar, scraping the brown bits from the bottom and stir until mixture starts to thicken. Add the meat to the pan with 2 cups of water, 2 tsp salt, a healthy dose of pepper, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, sage and cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer with the pot partially covered for about 90 mins. If the stew starts to look dry, add more water, 1/ cup at a time. Simmer until the meat is fall-apart tender and the liquid in the pan has been reduced to gravy-like status. During the last 15 mins. make the gremolata. In a small bowl, mix the parsley, orange zest, thyme and garlic. Remove the cinnamon sticks. Ladle the stew into deep bowls and top with a few pinches of orange gremolata.