Moroccan Beef Stew

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 lbs. beef stew meat
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 2 inches fresh ginger
• 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 Tbsp allspice
• 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 cup red wine, optional
• 3 oz. tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 cups water
• 7 whole dried apricots
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1 1/2 cups dry jasmine rice

Directions

1. Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Once the oil is very hot but not smoking, add the beef. Cook it until the pieces are deeply browned and the liquid in the pot has evaporated, about 15 minutes.
2. As the beef cooks, dice the onion. Peel the ginger with a vegetable peeler, or scrape away the skin with a spoon, then grate about 2 inches of it on a cheese grater. Stir the onion, ginger, and minced garlic into the pot with the beef, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Sprinkle the allspice and cinnamon into the pot. Stir them through and cook for about 1 minute. Pour in the red wine and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. If you are skipping the wine, the water in the next step will handle that job.
4. Add the water, tomato paste, honey, crushed red pepper, and salt. Stir well so the tomato paste blends into the liquid. Bring the stew to a boil, then lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 1 hour.
5. While the stew simmers, make the jasmine rice. Combine the dry rice and 3 cups of water in a medium pot. Cover and bring it to a boil. The moment it reaches a rolling boil, turn the heat down to the lowest setting and cook for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, shut off the heat and leave the covered pot alone until serving.
6. After the stew has simmered for about 1 hour, coarsely chop the apricots and stir them in with the raisins. Continue simmering the stew, uncovered, for another 15-20 minutes so it can thicken. If it stops bubbling without the lid, nudge the heat up just a little.
7. Fluff the rice with a fork, spoon it into a bowl, and ladle the stew over the top.