Blast from the past.

Sometimes you feel that you are in a rut, you're cooking and eating almost the same things.. they may be your favorites, but you feel that there's something missing. You need something new, and strangely enough this something new can be something you ate once, maybe a long time ago, and you want to have it again.

Well, this is exactly what happened to me last week. I asked my family the same old question: "What are we going to eat today?", and of course I got the same answer: "Anyting you do is OK." Not very encouraging!

So I looked into my pantry and freezer, and here is what I came up with.

BEEF STEW WITH PRUNES

I first had this dish many, many years ago, more than I care to remember. I was just starting my career as an interpreter, and was on my first trip to Algeria for a conference. A dear colleague invited me to his home for dinner, and his wife had prepared this delicious beef stew. At the time, I just enjoyed it. I didn't think to ask her how it was made. Why should I? I was only concentrating on my career and my studies.

Now years have gone by, and every time I am handling the big sirloin tip I sometimes buy, I remember this stew, and say to myself :"I have to make it someday." A few months ago, I remembered to ask a Moroccan friend if they had it in their cuisine. He confirmed that indeed it was a famous dish, served mainly on festive occasions (weddings or an important visitor, hence my very belated gratitude to my Algerian friend!). He couldn't give me any specifics, but suggested that I add the prunes at the very end of the process, and that I sprinkle the dish with some sesame seeds (the dish I had didn't have any sesame seeds, or did it? I honestly can't remember). So, basically I'm on my own on this one. But I think I managed to recreat it, or at least come up with something equally delicious. You'll need:

2 lbs beef cut in cubes (I used top round)

2 tbsp onion/garlic frozen mixture

2 tbsp flour

1tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground clove

1/4 tsp (or a pinch) of nutmeg

1 1/2 cup dried pitted prunes or plums

2 tbsp sesame seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

Make sure that you trim all the fat from the beef cubes (about 1 inch). Mix them with the onion/garlic mixture, sprinkle them with salt and pepper and all the spices. Set aside to marinate, about 1/2 an hour. Sprinkle the meat cubes with flour and toss to coat all the pieces. Chose a nonstick skillet large enough to hold the beef cubes in one layer. Start cooking the beef cubes on high heat, stirring to make sure that they all brown on all sides. Don't worry about the bits sticking to your skillet, they will make the sauce delicious. When the beef is all browned, reduce the heat and add 1 cup of water and stir. Make sure to scrape off all the bits in your skillet. Keep cooking, covered, until the meat is fork tender. You may need to add some more water, depending on the cut of beef you are using. (You can use the cheapest cut, and it will not make a difference in taste, only in cooking time). When the meat is done, fold in the dried prunes and stir to incorporate. Sprinkle the sesame seeds and stir for the last time. Cover and let simmer for 3 more minutes or so, then remove from heat. Let stand for 10 minutes before you serve it to allow all the flavors to come together.