This tsimmes recipe has been adapted from Raymond Sokolov’s Jewish American Kitchen. For me, it is truly a taste of home, a nostalgic beef stew that can be prepared ahead for a special occasion. Its ingredients are flexible, and I might add butternut squash and dates, but you can’t go wrong improvising with other dried fruits and any winter squash.
Ingredients
- •Vegetable oil
- •1.3 to 2.7 kg (3-6 pounds) lean stew beef cubes (see Note for vegetarian version)
- •Salt
- •Freshly ground black pepper
- •600 grams (4 cups) chopped onions
- •946 ml (4 cups) boiling water
- •454 grams (1 pound) pitted prunes
- •312 grams (11 ounces) dried apricots
- •1 kg (2 1/2 pounds) carrots, peeled and sliced
- •.9 kg (2 pounds) sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
- •Grated zest and juice from 1 lemon or orange
- •2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- •1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- •1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- •1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Preparation
Place a large heavy pot over medium heat and cover the bottom with a film of vegetable oil. Season the meat with salt and pepper and brown in batches, avoiding overcrowding and steaming.
Transfer the meat to a plate, add the onions to the pot, and saute until softened Return the meat to the pot, cover it, and cook for one hour over very low heat. While the meat is cooking, pour the boiling water over the prunes and apricots, and soak for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 177°C (350°F). Add the fruit with their soaking liquid to the pot, and add the carrots and sweet potatoes. Stir in the grated zest and juice, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Bake, covered, for 2 1/2 hours, then remove the cover and continue baking another 30 minutes when the top of the tsimmes will be slightly browned.
Vegetarian Tsimmes
Note: For a quicker-cooking vegetarian tsimmes side dish, omit the beef and cook the carrots and sweet potatoes in boiling water for 10 minutes until barely tender. Add 60 ml (1/4 cup) honey, 237 ml (1 cup) orange juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and top with a tablespoon of butter. Bake in a shallow 2.8 liter (3-quart) casserole dish for 30 minutes. Cover with foil to avoid over-browning.