This is a Persian recipe, which we made with some locally raised beef. The co-op has some peaches ready for ripening at home, which are ideal for this recipe, which is from Maryam Sinaiee’s book, Nightingales and Roses.
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 large white/yellow onion
- 450g beef, cut into large chunks
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 firm peaches
- 20g butter
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- Tiny pinch of saffron
- chopped pistachio nuts
METHOD:
- Put the saffron in a small cup and add a tiny amount of boiling water, and set aside
- Heat the oil in a large flat casserole dish, and gently fry the onion until it is beginning to brown.
- Add the beef, turn up the heat a little, and fry until browned.
- Add the turmeric, cumin, white pepper, coriander, stir and add the tomato paste. Cook for another two minutes, stirring until the meat is well-coated.
- Add just enough boiling water to cover the meat, and bring back to the boil, then add the cinnamon and salt. Turn the heat down very low, and braise for a couple of hours, until the beef is very tender.
- Meanwhile, use a sharp knife to peel the peaches, halve them to remove the stones, and cut each half- peach into three segments.
- Melt the butter in a small frying pan, and fry the peach segments over a medium heat, until they are beginning to brown, about 4 minutes.
- When the beef is tender, add lemon juice to taste, and add a teaspoon of saffron water.
- Arrange the peach segments over the stew, spoon over the sauce, cover and cook over a low heat for a further 5 minutes
- Garnish with chopped pistachio nuts, and serve with plain rice.