Moroccan Beef Stew with Saffron Rice

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

2 ½ lbs cubes of good stew meat
7 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 ½ C pitted Kalamata olives
1/3 C golden raisins
3 C carrots sliced
4 C Yukon gold potatoes cubed
3 Knorr beef bouillon cubes
4 C boiling water
3 T olive oil
1 t salt, ½ t pepper
3 T all-purpose flour
4 t good dried Moroccan spices medley (I used Fresh Market Moroccan spice and marinade
½ medium to small white, sweet onion diced small
4 large cloves garlic, chopped finely
Handful fresh, chopped cilantro
4 C Yellow saffron rice

Method:

• In a large saucepan, boil 4 C of water. Add the 3 beef bouillon cubes and remove from heat. Stir to combine.
• Unwrap the room temperature meat and put in large bowl. Add the 3 T flour and the salt and pepper and toss coat to on all sides. Preheat a large Dutch oven on medium high, then add the olive oil, and brown the meat in two batches. Do not crowd the meat. Sear only, about 3 minutes on each side until caramelized. Remove and set aside,
  Remove pan from heat.
• Add about 2 cup of the hot beef bouillon liquid to the pan and deglaze the bottom, working to scrape up all the browned bits of meat. Turn the heat on to medium and add the onion, garlic and mushrooms. Let come to a boil and cook for about 3-4 minutes, until the onions are soft. Put the rest of the bouillon in the pan, and add the meat back in with the juices, and add the 4 teaspoons spice mix. Stir and then cover the pot and put in the oven at 325 degrees F. Let the meat braise for 1 hour and 40 minutes.
• Remove Dutch oven from oven, and stir in the Kalamata olives, the raisins, the carrots and the potatoes. Cover the pan with the lid on the pan leaving an opening for the steam and let cook on a low heat (as long as there is some bubbling you’re good!) for about 20 minutes or until the carrots are soft but NOT mushy.
• At this stage, you can remove and either store for the next day or leave on stove for an hour or so and then reheat when you’re ready to serve. When ready to serve, stir in the fresh cilantro.
• If desired, cook 4 C of yellow Spanish rice with saffron and have ready at the same time.
• To serve, put ½ C of the rice on the bottom of a bowl, cover with about a cup of the stew.