To begin with, the recipe “meat with dried apricots and prunes” was originally from the Caucasus and Central Asia. They always knew how to combine products in order to achieve the maximum benefit and exquisite taste from them.
There are a lot of recipes: from classic to sometimes changed beyond recognition. It all depends on the taste of a hostess. Tender stew with prunes, melting in your mouth, baked lamb or beef with dried apricots and prunes, meatloaf with raisins and dried apricots, pilaf with raisins and dried apricots ... You can even cook meat with prunes in a slow cooker - this is just a small list of delicious oriental dishes. We will give 2 recipes from hundreds of possible options.
1. Stew with prunes
500-600 grams of veal or lamb meat cut into medium sized pieces. Put in a large bowl, slightly salted, pepper and sprinkled with dry red wine. 15-20 minutes insist.
In a casserole, fry the onions in half rings (1.5-2 heads) in butter until softened. Add meat with juice and fry slightly (without crusting). Pour a glass (200 gr.) Of meat broth. After boiling, reduce the heat to a minimum and cook for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, soak the prunes in cold water. When it softens, take out a stone, cut prunes. Add a glass of tomato juice or st. a spoonful of tomato paste, brought to the desired volume with water. To make the stew with prunes get the necessary aroma and taste, add spices to the cauldron: hops-suneli, a little cloves, basil, black and white peppercorns, a little more salt.
Bring to a boil and add already prepared prunes. Mix. Stew for another 10-15 minutes. If the liquid has evaporated too much, you can add another half a glass of broth or boiled water. You can add 50 grams of honey. Allow to sweat over low heat for another 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped herbs.
That’s all: stew with prunes can be served. Loose rice is best for garnish . You can also cook meat with dried apricots and prunes. The set of fruits is determined by your preferences, but the method of preparation does not change.
2. Pilaf with raisins and / or dried apricots
Pilaf is one of the most common oriental cuisines, with millions of fans around the world. Two essential products that make up any pilaf are meat and rice. Rice for pilaf is best taken elongated. Now in supermarkets you can find rice of all sorts. The packages usually indicate how suitable this rice is for pilaf. So you can experiment!
If you cook pilaf on a free topic, you can choose any meat, from pork and lamb to chicken breast. Meat (depending on the amount that you need to get) take 500-1000 grams. Cut into small (!) Pieces. Very important! Rice should be taken in the same volume as meat.
Rice soak in water. Separately soak raisins, dried apricots and barberries. In a warmed casserole in vegetable oil (preferably sunflower), fry the meat. After it is slightly “grabbed”, add onions (half rings), and then grated carrots on a coarse grater. Fry, add water, salt and season with spices. Mix everything and leave to simmer for 20-30 minutes. A sufficient amount of water must be added so that rice can boil well.
Add rice, or rather, lay it gently on top of the meat with an even layer and let it boil until it has absorbed and “boiled away” the main volume of liquid, but not all! Add dried fruits and mix. Cook until tender (about 30 minutes). Pilaf is ready.
If you have a slow cooker, then you can cook pilaf in it. It is easier! Meat with prunes in a slow cooker turns out to be juicy and tasty, which itself chooses the cooking mode and temperature.