Margarita's International Recipes
Cocido de Fruta Paso Beef and Dried Fruit Stew
Stews are common in Colombia, but I'm not sure just how traditional this particular one is given that I couldn't find any references to it on the internet. The dried fruit in the stew clearly shows a Middle Eastern influence, but whether it's one that came directly from Middle Eastern immigrant or through Spain, I don't know.
This stew was OK, not particularly great or memorable but pleasant enough. The original recipe did not ask for salt, but you definitely need it. I added it at the end, a couple of teaspoons worth probably. Serve with rice.
Beef and Dried Fruit Stew
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups pitted, mixed dried fruit
- 3 Tbsp. raisins
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 3 Tbsp. oil
- 3 lbs stewing beef, cut into bite-size slices
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 cup red wine
- salt to taste
Instructions
Cut the fruit into bite-size pieces. Soak the dried fruit and raisins in the water for 30 minutes. Drain the fruit, reserving the soaking liquid.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Heat the oil in an oven-safe, lidded cooking pot over medium heat. Add the beef and brown in both sides. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, bell pepper, cinnamon stick and oregano. Mix and cook for 5 minutes. Add the wine and the soaking liquid.
Cover the pot, remove from stove and put in the oven. Cook for 1 hour. Mix in the reserved fruit and raisins, recover and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Season with salt and serve.
Adapted from a recipe in Barbara Karoff's South American Cooking: Foods and Feasts from the New World
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