Beef Stew With Prunes
- Total Time
- 2 hours
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 3tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2pounds lean boneless beef, preferably chuck, in 2-inch cubes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1onion, peeled and chopped
- 3plum tomatoes, stemmed and chopped (canned are fine)
- 1teaspoon sweet paprika, more to taste
- 1cinnamon stick
- 1bay leaf
- 1cup chicken stock
- 1cup dry red wine
- 2tablespoons sugar
- 1cup pitted prunes
- 1tablespoon sherry vinegar or other vinegar, or to taste
- Chopped parsley leaves for garnish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
613 calories; 22 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 45 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 27 grams sugars; 53 grams protein; 1139 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
Place a deep skillet or casserole that can be covered over medium-high heat, and add oil. Brown meat well on all sides, seasoning with salt and pepper, for 10 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon.
- Step 2
In same pot over medium-high heat, sauté onion and tomatoes with a large pinch of salt and some pepper. When they soften, about 5 minutes, stir in paprika, cinnamon, and bay leaf. Return meat to pan, and add stock and wine; bring to a boil, then lower heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. If mixture starts to dry, add a little water or stock.
- Step 3
Remove cinnamon and bay leaf, and stir in sugar and prunes. Simmer until prunes and meat are soft, another 30 to 45 minutes. (Dish can be made in advance to this point; let sit for a few hours, or cover and refrigerate for up to a day before reheating and proceeding.) When meat is very tender, uncover pot and add vinegar; if necessary, raise heat so sauce thickens and becomes glossy. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve hot, garnished with parsley.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Judith Norman
One of the best and easiest beef stew recipes. Its especially good when I use a homemade bone broth (chicken or beef) where the gelatin has leeched from the bones. This makes the sauce rich and almost jammy. Additionally, I leave out the sugar which I think is unnecessary as the prunes are plenty sweet.
Charlie Henss
To be honest, this stew is a little sweet for my taste. And it needs about an hour more cooking than the recipe suggests. But, in compensation, it comes out tenderer than any other beef stew I've made. Is it the prunes? The tomatoes? Whatever it is, it works!
Susan B.
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I cooked it in a covered Dutch oven at 300 for one hour, then took out the cinnamon and bay leaves, added the prunes and cooked it another hour and a half. The meat was fork tender and sauce was very tasty. Served it over egg noodles. Will be making again.
Ines
Instead of sugar I added one cubed sweet potato and... voila!
John in Oz
The point about the sugar (which many commenters chose to leave out) is that it will combine with the vinegar for an agrodolce effect. I added sugar gradually till the sweetness began to dominate. Then at the end I added vinegar till the flavours balanced. The result ... ah, the result!
Abby
This stew was rich and delicious. I baked it in a 350 oven for an hour and a half since my stovetop doesn't simmer well. Midway in the cooking I added frozen pearl onions, chunks of carrots and the prunes, no sugar. The sherry vinegar at the end gave it the perfect finish.
Judy
I agree with the comment about an hour more cooking needed. Otherwise, great recipe. I would not call beef chuck lean, however, and lean cuts would not do as well.
PDXfoodLvr
Made today in the Instant Pot. Used saute function through Step 2. Then manual pressure for 30 minutes, with 10 minutes natural pressure release before quick release. Followed step 3, manual pressure for 10 minutes, and again with 10 minutes NPR and then QR. Finally, added vinegar. Used 1 15 oz can tomato puree because I had it on hand, added a diced carrot during step 3. Beautiful color and very tender meat. Served over mashed potatoes. Yum
Anne Burke
On the Whole 30 menu plan, alcohol is not allowed so the recipes call for balsamic vinegar. Just a few tablespoons. It really deepens the flavor and I often use it even when I am cooking with wine.
dimmerswitch
Made per recipe - mostly. Splendid outcome - absolutely. Notes: 1) Used a Dutch Oven as cooking vessel. 2) To add or not add the sugar seemed to be the question looking at others' comments. I thought it needed it. But only scant 1TBSP. 3) In Step 3 instead of continuing on stovetop, I put covered Dutch Oven in preheated 275 degree oven for about 1 hr 40 min at which point meat was tender and then stirred in vinegar for glossy sauce. 4) Freezes well.
Tim Rowland
I'm not an expert cook, but this dish has a sophisticated flavor that I'd be proud to serve to my most gourmet of friends (served with a chest-bump on the side). I'm not a sweet/meat fan so I, too, left out the sugar with good result. And lacking a cinnamon stick I used a teaspoon of ground.
Neva
This is my new very favorite way of cooking beef stew! The combination of flavors is fantastic! I never add the sugar, though and also simmer much longer on very low heat.
Mimi
This stew is foolproof and absolutely delicious. Very nice contrast between the sweetness of the prunes and the tanginess of the sauce. This stew doesn't feel heavy, but tastes bright and satisfying.
Ruth
This is very like my mother's delicious "pot roast with fruit", only she doesn't put in sugar, cinnamon or tomato, and she uses 1/2 a cup of prunes plus 1/2 a cup of dried apricots.
Cate Doty, Senior Staff Editor, NYT Cooking
Cie, if you'll write to cookingcare@nytimes.com and detail your cooking process, we'll try to help decipher what went wrong. Thanks.
Michael O'C
Though a bit on the sweet side, I found this to be a real crowd pleaser. Even family members who were skeptical of prunes loved it.
Deborah
Agree, you can leave out sugar(added extra prunes and a bit more onion) and served w roasted carrots and potatoes.
Tony
Cut the sugar in half, or skip it entirely. The prunes are more than sweet enough. In step 2, I simmered the stew for 45 minutes and it still wasn't tender enough. Add a half hour. And let it sit for at least another 20 minutes after it's done to get a nice thick sauce.
Bob
I made this for dinner tonight following the recipe very closely, and it was delicious. The prunes seemed to melt into the sauce. We had it with garlic mashed potatoes (Yukon Gold), a green salad, and a baguette. I browned the beef in a non-stick skillet, and then the onions and tomatoes, and then transferred everything to large sauté pan for the rest of the cooking. I simmered it for about 1½ hours, turned off the heat, and a few hours later, brought it to a simmer it for another hour or so.
Char
I’ve made this twice now, and both times it’s been delicious and easy. My mom has a red wine allergy, so the second time I made it with white wine and some dry vermouth. It did the trick. I will make this again and again!
jennifer
Totally agree about cooking time - bring to a boil on the stove top, transfer to the oven at 300 for 1 hour, then remove the cinnamon and bay, add prunes, and yes, carrots, and return to oven for 1.5 hrs more, no need for sugar between the prunes and the carrots. Be sure to add the vinegar, it’s a big time winner and super easy.
lucy
Would it work to add a half cup dried apricots or figs? Short on dried prunes. Thx.
Austin Val
Tripled the recipe to serve fourteen. As suggested in other comments, after bringing the mixture to a boil (Step 2), I put the covered pot in a 325 degree oven for an hour, then removed the cinnamon sticks and added prunes, carrots chunks, and a small sweet potato (cubed) to the pot. I cooked that - uncovered - for another 90 minutes. Fork tender and delicious.
David B.
Great stew. Used a leaner meat and still came out delicious. For two people, used 1lb beef, half the prunes, 1 tbs sugar. Also added carrots and mushrooms for some veggies. Put it over bowtie pasta.
Mary B
Made this stew for my finicky teenage grandkids and it was a hit. At first I thought adding the prunes was a bit odd, but they really did enhance the results. Added carrots early and frozen cut green beans in last 30 minutes. Served with the Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes also from NYT Cooking. Everyone raved about,it.
Allison D.
My husband and I LOVED this. So simple, really well balanced, and with a unqiue little twist on the flavor that makes it addictive. I loved the way the sweetness, acidity, warm spice, and savory elements all played together. If it's reading too sweet, add a bit more vinegar and salt until it's where you like. I made it exactly as written, only letting it simmer a bit longer to achieved the desired tenderness and reduce the liquid. Served it with mashed potatoes. So good.
Steve S
Can this be prepared in a crockpot?
LW
Definitely add chunks of carrots, skip sugar. Reduce vinegar
Bibi
Prunes are an old trick to sweeten stew and offset the tomato acidity ... I often use them for such purpose, or dried apricots also work well, but I use far fewer than a cup --- maybe five pieces sometimes even cut in half. They are a nice little sweet surprise in the savory dish.
FrancesNapa
Wonderful, delicious and easy recipe for beef stew. I will make this again for sure. I did add carrots and potatoes to it, but otherwise I stuck to the recipe.
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