Most men would agree that good food is one that has meat. And the recipes for cooking the latter, there is simply an incredible amount. And if the classic pork or beef steak is already fed up, you can try an unusual combination. For example, meat with prunes.
About dried fruit
Prunes have long settled in the kitchen as an auxiliary ingredient in meat dishes. A traditional Bulgarian dish - meat with prunes in a pot - is cooked together with tomatoes and other vegetables. This component gives the meat a certain sweetness and piquancy.
In fact, prunes are ordinary dried plums. Often it is smoked, which, in turn, gives the product a completely unimaginable aroma. Many people prepare beet and prune salad, which can be used as a side dish for meat. Dried plums are often used in European gastronomy. A popular snack is a slice of bacon, olives and pitted prunes.
Absolutely any meat - pork, beef, duck or rabbit - goes well with this dried fruit. So, for example, in Africa they prepare an excellent dish - a rack of lamb with prunes, the recipe of which is certainly worth adopting in order to conquer the guests.
Rack of lamb
This is a unique recipe for cooking meat with prunes, which will become a bright accent of any holiday table. The main thing is to buy a young and fat little lamb. Cooking at home will be much cheaper than in a restaurant. So, the necessary ingredients:
- Lamb meat (fillet and pieces on the bone) - 800 grams.
- Potatoes - 3-4 pieces.
- Cherry Tomatoes - 200 grams.
- 2 bell peppers.
- Literally two sprigs of rosemary and thyme.
- Pitted prunes - 100 grams.
- 1 small onion.
- Three cloves of garlic.
- Olive oil.
- Half a lemon.
- Spices.
The main secret of delicious meat with prunes is quality and fresh ingredients. Is it worth saying that the fillet and meat on the bone should be fresh, preferably chilled, from a young animal?
Cooking method
First of all, it is necessary to wash and dry a rack of lamb. For those who do not know, this is part of the carcass, which consists of 7-8 ribs. The finished dish turns out to be unusually beautiful and solemn. Therefore, it is prepared on special holidays: for Christmas, Easter or a wedding ceremony.
Then you need to prepare a mixture of spices - combine a couple of a pinch of black pepper with ground rosemary and thyme, add a few pinch of salt and chopped garlic and dilute it all with olive oil and lemon juice. With this mixture, you need to grate a rack of lamb, after which leave the meat alone for half an hour.
During this time, you can cut onions into thin half rings, potatoes with medium-sized slices, as well as bell pepper (it can be cut arbitrarily). Grind prunes, previously washed and soaked. Cut the cherry tomatoes into halves.
Prepare a baking dish and turn on the oven. Grease the form with olive oil, put vegetables in it in random order, and on them - a rack of lamb. The dish is baked for 40 minutes.
Prune rolls
This is another quite original and unusual recipe that can surprise guests. Meat cooked in the oven with prunes can be not only tasty, but also damn appetizing! For the dish you will need the following ingredients:
- Pork fillet - 700 grams.
- Pitted prunes - 200 grams.
- Thin strips of bacon - 200 grams.
- Dry red wine - 2 glasses.
- Olive or vegetable oil.
- Spices.
Baking meat with prunes in the oven is much more convenient than cooking it in a pan or in a slow cooker. Pork rolls are prepared very simply. Fillet should be finely chopped, beat well, salt and pepper. Rinse the prunes thoroughly and soak for a while, then cut into small pieces and wrap in a "meat dough".
The resulting meat roll should be wrapped in a strip of bacon and fasten the ends with a regular toothpick. Put in a deep bowl, pour red wine and leave for a while. Well, if you can withstand pork meat with prunes in wine all night. The next day put the rolls in a colander so that the glass is excess liquid, and then send the meat to the oven. By the way, rolls can just be fried in a pan.
Meat (beef) with prunes
This recipe cannot be called simple, but with what pleasure the dish will be tried by all those who gathered at the table. The following ingredients will be needed:
- A whole pumpkin weighing at least 2 kg.
- Tenderloin (beef) - 400 grams.
- 10 pitted prunes.
- 2 medium sized onions.
- Lingonberry berries (fresh or frozen) - 200 grams.
- A tablespoon of honey.
- A teaspoon of pink pepper.
- Half a teaspoon of cinnamon.
- A tablespoon of wine vinegar.
- The same amount of butter.
- Olive oil and spices.
It is desirable to cook the meat baked with prunes with the addition of vegetables - then the dish will turn out more juicy and tasty.
Step by step cooking
- So, for starters, you need to prepare a pumpkin - cut its core so that the wall thickness is at least 3 cm. Do not discard the top - it will be used as a cover.
- Peel the pulp, cut into cubes, grease the vegetable walls with vegetable oil and send the pumpkin to the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes to make it softer.
- While the pumpkin is baked in the oven, you need to cut the meat into medium-sized pieces and fry it over high heat.
- Next, you need to cook the onions: mix 2 tablespoons of vegetable and 0.5 tablespoons of butter, and pass the onions for three minutes.
- After that, cover it with a lid and simmer for another 10 minutes, then add a pinch of salt and sugar, and then fry for 5 minutes.
- In a well-heated pan, fry slices of pumpkin and prunes mixed with cinnamon.
- Now you can get the pumpkin out of the oven, fill it with a pre-prepared mixture of meat and vegetables, cover it and put it back in the oven, where the dish will be baked for 30-40 minutes.
- During this time, you can prepare the sauce: wipe the lingonberries through a sieve, add honey and boil in a saucepan, adding a pinch of pink pepper.
Ready pumpkin before serving is cut into slices seasoned with honey and lingonberry sauce.
Simple recipe
It is not difficult to cook meat with prunes if you take a responsible approach to the cooking process. Beef and dried plums combine excellently, so you should consider one of the easiest ways to cook a dish. Essential Ingredients:
- Dry white (table) wine - 10 ml.
- Beef - 1 kg.
- Ground cinnamon - a pinch.
- Onion medium size - 1 piece.
- Tomato paste or sauce - 200 grams.
- Pitted prunes - 400 grams.
- Vegetable oil and spices.
Now we’ll take a closer look at the cooking method.
Step-by-step method of preparation
- So, at the first stage, you will need directly beef itself and a small amount of vegetable oil. The meat must be cut into small pieces and fry portionwise in a hot pan.
- Next, the beef should be transferred to a thick-walled pan or cauldron and seasoned with an aromatic mixture of salt, cinnamon, dried parsley and ground pepper.
- In a pan in which the meat was grilled, it is necessary to pour 180 grams of dry white wine and let it boil a little. This liquid must be poured into a pot with beef.
- Now you need to fry the onion, cut into strips. Add tomato puree or pasta to it and simmer for 5 minutes. Put this mixture on the meat, turn on a low heat and leave it under the lid for 1 hour. During this time, beef should become soft. You need to monitor the dish from time to time, adding fluids as needed.
- Once the meat is soft, you can add well-washed prunes. Mix everything thoroughly and cook for another 30 minutes.
This dish goes well with any side dish.
Dried plum pork
Many people think about how to cook meat with prunes deliciously. In addition, most do not want to spend a lot of time creating a culinary masterpiece. This recipe will help to cope with both tasks. You only need to prepare the following components:
- Pork tenderloin - 250 grams.
- Pitted prunes - 50 grams.
- Natural honey - one tablespoon.
- Tomato ketchup or pasta - 50 grams.
- 2 cloves of garlic.
- Vegetable oil and spices.
This meat can be cooked in an ordinary pan, or you can use the grill. A piece of pork tenderloin must be greased with spices and vegetable oil and put on a hot pan. Fry on both sides.
Rinse the prunes and cut them lengthwise, then soak in a glass of water. Literally after 10 minutes, throw the plums into a colander and mix with chopped garlic. Add honey and ketchup, and then put the whole mixture on a small fire, bring to a boil.
That's all! Put a piece of pork on a serving plate, pour it with thick prune sauce, garnish with a sprig of salad and juicy greens.
It remains to add only that there are a lot of recipes for meat with prunes. The traditions of European cuisine are firmly rooted in domestic gastronomy. The combination of meat and fruit is special. This taste is unlike anything else. Prune gives a certain piquancy and sweetness to meat dishes.