This Moroccan Beef Stew Is Bursting With Greens

As a London-based Moroccan chef, I think about myself well-versed in each European and Moroccan cuisines, and as a lot as I like the extra conventional approaches to every, I’ve plenty of enjoyable mixing these approaches. It is precisely what I’ve completed within the beef stew recipe right here, which is multi-layered and heady with out being too heavy. This interpretation of beef stew combines Western stewing methods with a few of my favourite flavors of Moroccan delicacies: tender chunks of beef stewed with contemporary collard greens, chickpeas, and aromatic ras el hanout. It is not a dish that is purely Moroccan or European, however a mix of each.

Why This Moroccan Stew is Not a Tagine

To be clear, this recipe is a stew and never a tagine. Each a tagine and a stew are slow-cooked braises, and there may be plenty of overlap with the phrases. For somebody much less aware of Moroccan meals, they could assume {that a} recipe for beef seared and simmered with Moroccan spices like ras el hanout needs to be labeled a tagine. However for Moroccans, this recipe would by no means be thought-about a tagine, and never simply because it isn’t ready within the distinctive cone-shaped pot generally known as a tagine (it is quite common for Moroccans to organize tagines with out utilizing the traditional clay tagines at dwelling). This stew would not be thought-about a tagine as a result of tagines made in Morocco comply with guidelines that aren’t used on this recipe, a couple of of which I’m itemizing right here: 

• A tagine begins with an onion-and-garlic base that’s sautéed in olive oil and/or butter.
• For meat-based tagines, bigger bone-in cuts of meat are used.
• Meat in a tagine isn’t browned. 
• Ras el hanout is just used for a selected kind of tagine referred to as mrouzia (lamb with raisins, almonds, and honey), and wouldn’t be paired with beef in a tagine.
• Tomato paste is just utilized in tomato-based tagines.
• A tagine that accommodates greens, like collard greens used right here, would usually be cooked the m’qualli approach (with floor turmeric and floor ginger) and by no means with ras el hanout.

After all, “guidelines” are made to be damaged, and one may argue that some recipes that defy a number of of the above may nonetheless be thought-about a tagine. Within the case of this recipe, although, I am breaking so many guidelines and adopting so many others from Western cooking that I would not name this recipe a tagine, and I am fairly certain most others who’re educated about Moroccan delicacies would agree.

Steps for a Flavorful Moroccan-Type Beef Stew

So why break from Moroccan tagine traditions, and apply Moroccan flavors to a stew? It’s just because I like this mixture of flavors. To me, this recipe is a traditional stew to which I’ve added ras el hanout for an fragrant Moroccan aptitude, and its success comes down to some flavor-building and texture-enhancing methods:

• Brown the meat: In a Moroccan tagine, the meat wouldn’t be browned, however for my stew I brown the meat chunks on all sides over excessive warmth to kind a caramelized crust earlier than braising. The explanation why tagines don’t brown the meat doubtless stems from performance: Tagines are historically clay pots set over decrease warmth to make sure the pot isn’t broken. The software itself restricted browning and made it a much less necessary ingredient of that type of cooking.

  There’s additionally the truth that you get extra tenderness when you do not brown (as a result of browning dehydrates the floor of the meat), and there is a lot flavor-building taking place elsewhere in most moroccan tagines (spices, preserved lemon, and many others.) that the deep roasted flavors of the Maillard response might be deprioritized over tenderness and a extra clear, clear taste profile. However on this stew, I like how the broth is enriched with a deep, savory taste from browning the meat, and the way that taste pairs with the aromatic spices of ras el hanout.

• Create a flavorful fragrant base: This stew’s fragrant base is the place nearly all of its taste comes from. The ras el hanout spice mix, tomato paste, and garlic are added to sautéed onions to briefly infuse into the rendered beef fats. Blooming the spices in fats earlier than including the liquid permits the total complexity of the ras el hanout to return by means of, spreading its fat-soluble floral, earthy, and warming taste molecules all through. I additionally add only a teaspoon of honey to stability the extraordinary taste from the meat and spices, and simmer a cilantro bundle with the stew to reinforce its Moroccan taste profile. 
• Simmer slowly: It is a key cooking step for any meat stew. A gradual, light simmer ensures that the meat chuck’s powerful connective tissue has an opportunity to interrupt down and soften till fork-tender. I selected to simmer on the stovetop, avoiding the necessity to carry a giant, heavy pot of scorching liquid out and in of the oven (although you may braise it in a moderately-low oven, if desired). Simply be sure to periodically test on the pot, and alter the burner setting to take care of a simmer, whereas avoiding scorching the underside.
• Add vivid taste and heartiness with contemporary greens and beans: The ultimate additions brighten up the stew and make it extra filling: contemporary collard greens and canned chickpeas. They’re added after the meat has simmered for hours, and cooked simply lengthy sufficient to wilt and tenderize the greens whereas retaining some freshness. I like how these ultimate vegetable additions stability the richness of the stew whereas protecting it hearty.

Ras el Hanout: The Key to This Stew’s Taste

On the coronary heart of this deeply fragrant stew is ras el hanout, a signature Moroccan spice mix. The identify ras el hanout interprets to “head of the store” in Arabic and refers back to the greatest spices a spice service provider has to supply. Though there isn’t a single recipe for ras el hanout—as every spice vendor has their very own variation—it usually contains a mixture of floor cinnamon, coriander, cumin, ginger, and typically even rose petals or saffron. This fragrant and complicated mix offers this stew welcome depth and heat.

Whereas as soon as troublesome to seek out exterior North Africa, ras el hanout is now extra broadly out there at spice outlets and a few large-scale grocery shops all through the US, bringing its particular mixture of aromatic and earthy notes to dwelling kitchens in all places, although it is also simple to make your personal. 

This stew’s thrilling mixture of hearty beef, heat spices, and vivid contemporary greens make it an awesome meal for any time of 12 months, however I particularly take pleasure in it throughout the shoulder season main into spring. I like to recommend serving it for household gatherings and particular events with bread, couscous and even rice.

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