Beef Carrot and Prune Tzimmes
Beef, Carrot and Prune Tzimmes, serves 6.
It is traditional, to serve sweet food at Rosh Hashanah The Yiddish word “meren” is translated as both the noun “carrots” and the verb “to increase.” Carrots symbolize our hope that our merits and good things will increase in the coming year.
When I lived in Manchester my neighbour made this wonderful tzimmes not only for Rosh Hashannah but regularly for Shabbat and Yomtov because as she said you can’t have too much sweetness or too many good things in the world, a sentiment I heartly embrace.
Ingredients
1.5 kilos of beef Chuck diced.
2 medium onions sliced.
4 cloves of garlic peeled and chopped.
1.5 litres beef or vegetable stock
½ cup of fresh orange juice
6 carrots peeled and chopped into large chunks.
2 Bay leaves
2 sprigs of Thyme
one dessert spoon of soft brown sugar
1 cup of ready pitted prunes
1 teaspoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons flour I use plain gluten free, but you can use corn flour, or Chickpea flour for a nutty flavour or type you have in the house.
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon good quality sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1.5 tablespoons of vegetable oil
Method
- Place the flour, half the salt and pepper, the paprika and celery salt, in a large food bag shake it well and add the meat, shake again so all the meat is coated with the flour mixture.
- Heat the oil in a thick bottomed pan with a lid or a Dutch oven, add the onions and garlic and cook till translucent, then add the meat, watch the meat, and turn it so it’s sealed on both sides and has a brown crust.
- Deglaze your pan with the orange juice and stock stirring it so that any flour or onion residue is removed from the bottom of the pan, then add the carrots, prunes, thyme, bay leaves, sugar, and tomato paste, bring to a rolling boil stir to ensure nothing has caught on the bottom and the tomato paste has mixed in.
- Cover the pot, reduced the heat and simmer gently for 3hours.
- Adjust the seasoning and serve, either on its own with rice or mashed sweet potatoes or as a side dish.
Wishing you a sweet New Year L’ Shanna Tova U metukah