Sarah from Simply Cooked
was our November Daring Cooks’ hostess and she challenged us to create
something truly unique in both taste and technique! We learned how to cook
using tea with recipes from Tea Cookbook by Tonia George and The New Tea Book
by Sara Perry.
I had heard of cookies,
cakes, even sweet breads made with TEA, but never a savory dish. I
searched through all my books and found a Tea Smoked Duck recipe. Same
grocery store again (can’t wait for Whole Foods to open): no duck available.
So I decided to make one of the dishes Sarah had suggested in her challenge –
Beef Braised in Rooios Tea with Sweet Potatoes. Not only was it
surprisingly delicious, my boys comments were, “whatever you are cooking smells
GREAT!” The meat was so tender and the sauce was great over rice and for
bread dipping: WE DID BOTH……….this is definitely a keeper!!
Beef Braised in Rooibos Tea with Sweet Potatoes
Servings: 4-6
Rooibos tea is an herbal infusion from South
Africa. Also called red tea, redbush tea, or honeybush tea, it is
honey-flavored and light colored. It is gaining popularity because it is low in
bitter tannins and caffeine-free. It can be substituted in this recipe by black
tea, or try another dark herbal tea such as one containing licorice.
Ingredients
1¼ pounds (600 gm) brisket
or stewing beef, trimmed and cut into 2-inch (5 cm) chunks
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (18
gm) (⅔ oz) flour
1 tablespoon (15 m) oil
2 onions, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon (15 ml) (8
gm) tomato concentrate
5 rooibos tea bags (or 2
tablespoons loose tea leaves) **I used Earl Grey(black tea)**
1 quart (1 litre)
just-boiled water
5 tablespoons (75 ml) red
wine vinegar
4 strips unwaxed orange
peel, pith removed (the peel of about half an orange)
2 cinnamon sticks
2 inches (5 cm) fresh
ginger, peeled and sliced
4 small sweet potatoes,
peeled and thinly sliced
¾ cup (175 ml) mild honey
(optional)
cilantro (coriander)
leaves, to garnish
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Season the beef and coat
in the flour. Heat the oil in a large stock pot and then brown the beef on all
sides.
2. Add the onions and
celery. Put on a tight fitting lid and let soften for ten minutes.
3. Add the garlic and
tomato concentrate and cook for one minute.
4. Meanwhile, place the
tea bags in a heatproof pitcher and pour over the water. Allow to steep for
four minutes. Then remove the tea bags (or strain out the tea leaves) and pour
the tea into the stock pot. Add the red wine vinegar, orange peel, cinnamon
sticks, and ginger.
5. Lower the heat and
cover. Let the stew simmer for 2 hours, until the beef is tender.
6. Add the sweet potatoes,
honey (if using), and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a further 30
minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are soft.
7. Serve
garnished with chopped cilantro.
