Slow-Cooker Harissa Beef Stew With Lemon Yogurt Recipe

Jennifer Olvera
Slow-Cooker Harissa Beef Stew With Lemon Yogurt Recipe
*
  • Yield:Serves 4
  • Active time:20 minutes
  • Total time:8 1/2 hours
  • Rated: 5.0
This recipe appears in:
Slow Cooker Harissa Beef Stew With Lemon Yogurt

This bright take on hearty, slow-cooked beef stew employs harissa flavors and a final dollop of lemon yogurt. [Photograph: Jennifer Olvera]

Note: Feel free to make the stew up to two days in advance, as the flavors will improve in the refrigerator. It freezes beautifully, too.

Ingredients

  • For the Stew:
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 pounds of beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced, fire-roasted tomatoes
  • 1 1/2 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium beef broth
  • 1 pound small potatoes, preferably fingerlings
  • 1 medium onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and roughly sliced (about 1 cup)
  • 1/4 cup jarred peperoncini, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground chile powder, such as ancho or guajillo
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried mint
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground caraway seed
  • 2 (1-inch) strips of orange zest
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 cup plain yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Directions

  1. 1.

    Place flour in a large, shallow dish. Generously season beef with salt and pepper. Toss meat in flour to coat and shake off excess. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a larges straight-sided sauté pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add half of meat and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker and repeat with remaining beef, adding more oil as needed.

  2. 2.

    When beef is browned, drain excess oil. Add wine to pan and scrape up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Transfer to slow cooker.

  3. 3.

    Add Worcestershire sauce, garlic, tomatoes, beef stock, potatoes, onion, carrots, peperoncini, paprika, chile powder, cumin, cinnamon, coriander, mint, caraway, orange zest, and bay leaves to slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper. Set slow cooker to low setting and cook until meat is fork-tender and potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 8 hours. Discard bay leaves and orange zest.

  4. 4.

    Combine yogurt and lemon zest in a small bowl. Ladle stew into bowls and top with a dollop of lemon yogurt. Serve immediately.

Guide to Steak
Jennifer Olvera
Sunday Supper Columnist

Jennifer Olvera is the author of Food Lovers' Guide to Chicago, and she has all-but tested and developed recipes since toddlehood. She writes the Sunday Supper column for Serious Eats and regularly contributes food features to Chicago Sun-Times. She can often be found tending her garden, canning and traveling to far-flung destinations, where she writes about local edibles for pubs like Los Angeles Times and Frommers.com.

Filed Under
Show 3 Comments