Fruity beef stew

Ingredients

750 g chuck or boneless shin/gravy beef

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 large brown onion, peeled and diced

3 cups beef stock

100 g dried apricots

100 g pitted prunes

steamed rice or cooked risoni and slivered almonds to serve

Cut beef into 2.5cm-3cm cubes. Season with salt and pepper, add about 2 tbsp oil and the cinnamon, and mix well. Heat a large frypan over a medium-high heat. Brown the beef in 2 batches. Remove each batch and place in a heavy-based pot.
Add the onion to the frypan and cook for 5 minutes. Add the stock. Bring to the boil, and then reduce the heat to simmering point.
Pour mixture over the beef in the heavy-based pot. Partially cover, keep the heat low. Simmer for about 75 minutes. Stir occasionally; add water if needed during the cooking time to keep ingredients well covered. Add the apricots and prunes and continue to cook uncovered for 15 minutes or until beef is very tender. Serve with rice or risoni and scatter with slivered almonds.

Don't rush the initial stage of browning the meat. This will make your casserole rich in colour and flavour. Brown the meat in small batches over a medium-high heat.
Simmer the casserole gently and taste it to see if it's ready. Stir occasionally and adjust the heat as it cooks if needed. When it's done the meat should be tender enough to fall apart easily with a fork.
Best beef cuts for or casseroling: Chuck or Boneless shin/Gravy beef (these cuts take 2-2½ hours to cook). Topside, Round and Blade take 1-1½ hours to cook.