Beef in Chocolate Black Currant Sauce Recipe

Posted on 2nd of May, 2012 by Lévana

Is this combo even safe, you might wonder? It is much better than safe: It’s wonderful!The chocolate, cassis (a Black Currant Liquor, available at all liquor stores: Couldn’t live without it!) and black or red currant jelly are quite a powerful team.

I always find the way the butcher cuts the beef makes it look ragged and shredded (good enough for cholent, but decidedly not for a main course), and therefore not too presentable. I like to buy a shoulder beef roast (quite affordable), take it out of its net, and cut it in 2 inch cubes. This extra step only takes a few minutes, but guarantees me a nice looking dish!
I love to use those disposable muslin bags: Easy to find, a real low-tech marvel!

Ingredients:

4 pounds large beef chunks

8 cups water

2 large onions, sliced very thin

2 tablespoons peppercorns

6 bay leaves, or 1 tablespoon ground

2 cups red wine

¼ cup crème de cassis

¼ cup olive oil

2 good pinches saffron

2 teaspoons turmeric

1/3 cup pure cocoa powder

2/3 cup black or red currant jelly

Instructions:
Put the beef and water to boil in wide bottom pot. Place the onions, peppercorns and bay leaves in a cheesecloth bag, tie the bag securely and immerse in the cooking water. Reduce the flame to medium, and cook covered two hours. Stir in all but last 2 ingredients, cover again and cook 1 more hour. Discard the cheesecloth, pressing hard on the solids first to extract all liquids. Transfer the meat to a platter with a slotted spoon. Stir the cocoa powder and currant jelly into the pot, and cook 5 more minutes, or a little longer, until the liquids in the pot are thick. Pour this sauce over the meat. Serve hot, over rice or noodles, or mashed white vegetables.

Filed under: Beef Recipes, Chocolate Recipes, Creme de Cassis Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Levana, Levana Kirschenbaum, Recipes, Whole Foods Cookbook, Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen