Moroccan Simmered Beef with Sweet Potatoes & Prunes

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1½ lbs good stew meat chunks
2 C peeled and cubed sweet potatoes
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 C white onion, thinly sliced
¾ C prunes
¼ C maple real maple syrup
3 T good olive oil
¼ C good red wine, preferably a cabernet sauvignon
2 beef bouillon cubes dissolved in 4 C boiling water
2 t of your favorite Moroccan Spice mix (I used the Fresh Market brand)
1 t salt + 1 t black pepper (more may be needed at end. Taste and season before serving)
1 large stalk of fresh rosemary
3-4 large sage leaves, crushed in your palm a bit to release oils
2 T fresh thyme leaves
2 T fresh oregano leaves

Method:

• Prep all items.Bring a largesautépanto high heat and add oil. Whenvery hot add onions and stir until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Addthe meat and continue to turn with a spatula until the meat is justbrownedwhich only takes a couple ofminutes. Reduce heat slightly ifneeded so onions don’t burn. Now add theslicedgarlic, andcubedsweetpotatoes, season with salt andpepper and the Moroccan spice mix andstir to incorporate.Deglaze with the red wine and lower heat slightly. Letit simmer and reduce the winebyhalf. Now take the 4 C of beef stockfrombouilloncubesand add 3–4C just until you have almost coveredthe meat.I used a bit more than 3cups.Stir all items together. Lower heat, nestle the rosemary sprig and sageleaves on top, cover, and let simmergently–butwithconsistentbubblesthroughoutpan–for60minutes.Remove lid and add the prunesand the maple syrup, stirring to incorporatethem in the broth. Cover again andlet simmer for another 10 minutes.Check to make sure meat istender. If so, it’s ready to serve! Garnish with thethyme and oregano leaves
• Note: You can thicken the sauce if you want with a little bit of corn starch roux.