Beef with Carob and Walnuts
and Angela's carob cookies too!
The inspiration for this first recipe is the Persian dish fesenjân which combines pomegranate molasses and walnuts to create a rich, unctuous sauce for lamb or duck. With its chocolatey notes I thought carob would be great with beef. I wasn’t disappointed.
Ingredients
200g/7oz walnut pieces
2-3 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
450g/1lb cubed stewing beef
1 onion, finely chopped
4 tablespoons carob molasses
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 star anise
2 x 8cm/3in strips orange zest
500ml/a little under 1 pint beef stock
Generous seasoning of black pepper and salt
A good squeeze of lemon or seville orange juice
Method
Coarsely grind the walnut pieces in a food processor or vigorously chop. There should be some small but discernible pieces left in the mixture rather than a fine, sandy texture.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large, lidded casserole or frying pan over a medium to high heat. Brown the beef in the hot oil, in batches if necessary, adding more oil if required. Removed the browned meat and set aside until required.
Add another tablespoon of vegetable oil to the pan and fry the onion over a medium heat until just beginning to take on some colour.
Add the carob molasses, dark brown sugar, star anise, strips of orange zest and around two-thirds of the beef stock. Return the beef to the pan along with the coarsely ground walnuts. Season well with black pepper and salt. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer for 90 minutes. The walnuts will naturally thicken the sauce so add the remaining stock at intervals during this cooking time to avoid the sauce becoming too thick or sticking to the base of the pan. If you run out of stock and you believe the sauce to be too thick add a little water. At the end of the cooking time you should have a wonderfully thick sauce that clings to meat rather than a watery sauce that drowns it.
Remove the star anise and strips of orange zest from the pan. Season with a squeeze of lemon or seville orange juice adding more salt and pepper if you think it needs it. Serve with a simple pilaf or plain boiled rice and some tangy, sautéed greens.
Angela Zaher’s Dibs Bi Tahini Cookies
Another great use for carob molasses with the added bonus of being vegan too! You can find out more about Angela on her website or follow her on Instagram
Ingredients for 16 cookies
60g/2oz caster sugar
40ml/1½floz milk
55ml/2floz olive oil
½ tsp vanilla extract
130g/4½oz plain flour
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp bicarbonate of powder
⅛ tsp fine salt
55g/2oz carob molasses (dibs)
80g/3oz tahini
Method
In a self standing mixer, whisk the sugar, milk, oil and vanilla- this is the syrup.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, bicarb of soda and salt- then add this to the syrup, folding in.
In another separate bowl, combine the carob molasses with the tahini with a spoon and then add to the cookie dough. When mixed in, refrigerate for at least an hour.
Preheat the oven to 180*C/Gas Mark 4 and line two large baking sheets with baking paper.
Take off roughly 25g chunks of dough, roll into balls and arrange on baking sheets, 5cm apart and away from the edge.
Bake for 8 minutes for a soft, fudgy cookie and up to 12 for a crispier one.
