Moroccan Beef with Broccoli and Golden Raisins (Serves 4-5)
I’m learning to use my passport and travel to distant countries in my cooking. And I’m learning to add more spice than seems necessary. Sometimes an “abundance” of spice is better than “just enough.” Come with me on a trip to Morocco where an abundance of cinnamon and paprika transforms a beef shoulder roast into a night in Marrakesh.
Prep and cook time: 35 minutes
2-2.5 pounds of boneless beef shoulder roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
6-8 stalks of broccoli, florets chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 sweet yellow onion, rough chopped
Extra virgin olive oil
1-2 cups of beef or chicken broth
Crushed garlic or 2 cloves, minced
Directions: Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil to pressure cooker over high heat. Add beef cubes and brown on all sides, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and cook 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add 1.5 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 2 teaspoons of cumin, 1.5 teaspoons of cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon of paprika. Stir ingredients well and let cook 1 or 2 minutes and enjoy the developing fragrance. Add 1 cup of beef or chicken broth if the browning process produced much liquid, 2 cups if the browned meat was mostly dry. Lock top on pressure cooker. Increase heat to high. After achieving high pressure, reduce heat to the lowest level consistent with maintaining high pressure. Cook under high pressure for 15 minutes. Turn off heat, allow pressure to come down naturally, and remove top. Add a big handful of golden raisins and stir in with beef.
Meanwhile, melt two tablespoons of coconut oil over medium heat in a wok. Add broccoli and stir until broccoli is coated with coconut oil. Add a handful of golden raisins, cover, and let cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a little water if the wok becomes too dry before the broccoli is sufficiently tender.
Transfer food to plates and enjoy!
Notes: Browning enhances the flavor of meat, so is an important step. Cutting the beef into 1-inch cubes reduces the pressure cooking time required.
I always have chicken broth available, so that is what I use. I generally like the results of using chicken broth with beef dishes.
I love my Kuhn Rikon Duromatic Top Pressure Cooker 7.4-Quart that I ordered from Amazon.com. After reading a bunch of pressure cooker reviews, I decided to spend a little extra to get the one the New York Times described as the Mercedes-Benz of pressure cookers. Kuhn Rikon is a Swiss company. Pressure cookers are so popular in Switzerland that the average household has three!
Printer friendly version: Moroccan Beef with Broccoli and Golden Raisins