Orange Braised Beef

This is one of my favorites. You can choose beef shank or stew meat to make it. An enameled cast-iron Dutch oven or slow cooker does a good job of making this tougher cut of meat tender and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. (The recipe is from Diane Sanfilippo.)

PREP TIME: 10 minutes not including broth)

COOK TIME: 4-6 hours

YIELD: 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 large beef shanks (about 2 ½ lbs) or 1 ½ lbs beef stew

Sea salt and black pepper

1 tablespoon butter, ghee, or coconut oil

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

2 oranges

2 cups beef bone broth

4 cloves garlic, peel and smashed with the side of a knife

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks

Process:

Preheat the oven to 325 Fahrenheit.

Season both sides of the beef shanks liberally with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a large enameled cast-iron Dutch oven over medium-high heat, then sear the shanks for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden brown.

Place the fennel seeds and peppercorns in a tea ball infuser or tie them up in a small piece of cheesecloth. Juice one of the oranges. Combine the broth, orange juice, garlic, and cumin in a bowl.

Put the sweet potatoes, spice ball (or bag), and 1 cup of the broth mixture in the pot. Add more of the broth mixture as needed until the liquid comes about halfway up the sides of the meat. If you want garnish the finished meat with orange zest, grate the zest of the remaining orange and set the zest aside. cut half of the orange into slices and place in the pot, set the remaining part aside. Place in the oven and cook for 4 to 6 hours, until the meat is tender enough to be pulled apart with a fork.

Gently pull the meat off the bones. Serve the meat with the sweet potatoes, squeezing the remaining orange half over each plate for a pop of brightness. Sprinkle some of the reserved orange zest (if using) over each serving.