Estouffade of Beef

Source: Food & Wine, Dec. 03

Ingredients

½ lb. Dried Apricots
1½ cups Boiling Water
4½ lbs. Boneless Beef Shanks (or Tip Roast), cut into 1½ inch cubes
Salt And Pepper
¾ teaspoons Cinnamon
½ cup Olive Oil
2 large Onions, Finely Chopped
6 Garlic Cloves, Minced
2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
1 teaspoon Ground Coriander
¼ teaspoon Ground Cloves
½ cup Dry White Wine
2 cups Canned Crushed Tomatoes With Liquid
3½ cups Beef Stock
2 Bay Leaves
½ cup Raisins
½ cup Slivered Blanched Almonds For Garnish
2 Flat Leaf Parsley Leaves, finely chopped - garnish
Egg Noodles, cooked, for serving

Method

In a medium bowl, soak the dried apricots in the boiling water until plumped, about 30 minutes. Drain.
In a large bowl, toss the beef cubes with 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper and the cinnamon. In a large heavy skillet, heat 4 tbsp of olive oil until almost smoking. Add half the beef cubes to the pan and cook over high heat, turning, until well browned on all sides, 8 - 10 minutes. Transfer the beef to a large plate. Add 1 more tbsp of oil and brown the remaining beef.
Add the remaining 3 tbsp oil to the pan. Add the onions and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 10 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander and cloves and cook, stirring, until the spices are aromatic, about 3 minutes. Add the white wine and cook until almost all the liquid is evaporated, about 2 minutes. Stir in the crushed tomatoes with their liquid and the beef stock. Add the apricots to the pan, reserving 8 for garnish. Simmer the sauce for 2 minutes.
Working in batches, puree the sauce in a food processor until smooth, about 20 seconds. Transfer the puree to an enameled cast-iron casserole. Add the beef and bay leaves and bring to a simmer over moderate heat. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 1¾ hours. Uncover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the raisins and simmer until the meat is very tender and the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes longer. Discard the bay leaves and season with salt and pepper.
Toast the slivered almonds on a baking sheet for about 7 minutes, until golden. Slice the reserved apricots. Garnish the estouffade with the apricots, almonds and parsley. Serve with egg noodles.