Lynne Curry’s Heavenly Green Stew

Lynne Curry’s “Pure Beef” is our favourite grass fed beef resource. Her recipes never disappoint! The old school cowboys around here might not take to this recipe but the rest of us think it is the best stew we have ever had. The yogurt tenderizes the stew meat, and the warm Indian inspired spice is such a unique change on basic stew. The volume of spinach in this dish is an additional nutrient bonus. We served this on quinoa but it is also delicious served on rice.

Ingredients:

4 tbsp vegetable oil, divided

1 large onion chopped

3 inch piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped

3-4 cloves garlic minced

2 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp Garam Masala

12 oz fresh baby spinach

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp salt

2 - 2 1/2 lb stew meat, cut in 1 1/2 inch cubes (cutting a chuck roast down to 1 1/2 inch cubes is delicious in this dish)

1 cinnamon stick

2 bay leaves

Dollop of plain yogurt and fresh cilantro for garnish

Directions:

• Heat 2 tbsp oil in cast iron skillet over medium high. Add onions, cook down stirring frequently until they brown slightly. Add ginger, garlic, coriander, garam masala and cook 1 minute. Add spinach, stirring until it wilts. Transfer this mixture to a food processor. Add the yogurt and salt and puree until smooth.

• Heat remaining 2 tbsp of oil over medium high heat in Dutch oven. When it shimmers cook the beef, working in batches so that it lays in single layer. Turning 2-3 times to get all sides, about 5 minutes per batch. Add the spinach puree to the beef pot and add 2 cups of water. Add cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Bring the liquid to a boil over medium heat and scrape the bottom of the pot to stir up any browned bits. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer minimum 1.5 hours, but longer the better.

• We simmered our stew on the Big Green Egg. We lost the vibrant green colour but the added smokiness was outstanding.

• Discard cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Taste to see if it needs more salt or garam masala before serving. This reheats nicely and the flavours intensify.

  Serve with quinoa or rice, garnish with a dollop of plain yogurt and fresh cilantro and Naan bread on the side.