This is SO good, and is a nice departure from your typical beef stew. It’s Indian cuisine, and I love how much spinach goes into the sauce, and how creamy it all seems, even though there is only yogurt being used. This recipe comes from Pure Beef, a very comprehensive cookbook by Lynne Curry, with the subtitle, “An Essential Guide to Artisan Meat with Recipes for Every Cut.”

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 12 oz. fresh spinach or a 10 oz bag of frozen spinach, thawed
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 2 tsp salt
• 2–2½ lb. stewing beef or 1½ inch cubes of beef cut from the blade, crosscut or rump roast
• 1 4″ cinnamon stick
• 2 bay leaves

Directions

1. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, coriander and garam masala, and cook, stirring, for another minute. Add spinach, cooking (if fresh) until it wilts.
2. Transfer mixture to a food processor. Add yogurt and salt, and puree until very smooth.
3. Heat remaining 2 tbsp of oil over med-high heat in a Dutch oven. When it shimmers, cook the beef, working in batches so that you don’t overcrowd the pan, turning pieces 2-3 times until well-browned.
4. Add the spinach puree to the pot with the beef and stir in 2 cups of water. Add the cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Bring to a boil over medium heat and scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits.
5. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer on the stovetop until the beef is fork-tender, about 1½ hours. If it’s still tough, just simmer some more.
6. Discard the cinnamon stick and bay leaves and taste for salt and garam masala before serving.