Chocolate Coffee Braised Beef

I received a basket of goodies from Newman's Own Organics and I gotta honest, there was so much stuff in there I couldn't quite wrap my head around what to use first and for what. You take in to consideration the work that they put in to developing their products, so I figure you have to at least do the products some justice and put out something that both of us would be proud of.

Using chocolate in savory dishes is not a new thing, despite of what chefs around the country would like you to think. Quite the contrary. Mexicans have been serving chocolate tinged Mole with their turkey for hundreds of years. Working as a cook in Los Angeles, I've had the privilege of going to battle with my brothers from Oaxaca. I've had the pleasure of tasting different types of Moles with some recipes going back a few generations. One of these days I'll try my hand in making a Mole, but for now, this will have to suffice. 

My wife, living most of her life in Philippines couldn't even fathom the thought of chocolates in a savory dish. It's excusable though, because I'm sure the thought of sliced avocado in sugar and powdered milk is about weird as it sounds when all your life, you've associated avocados with guacamole. 

Alas, thanks to Newman's Own Organics, I was finally given a small nudge to play with something that is new to me. I suppose that's the adventure of cooking. Venturing out of your culinary comforts to try new ingredients and cuisines can in turn teach you a little about other cultures. That's a beautiful thing if you ask me. To top it off, you end up with something delicious with your loved ones. So roll up your sleeves and hop to it.

Chocolate Coffee Braised Beef

Chocolate Coffee Braised Beef

1 lb beef chuck roughly cubed in to 1 inch pieces
1 tomato diced
1 onion diced
5 whole cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
2 tsp chipotle sauce (or if you really like it spicy, throw in the whole chili in there)
1 cup brewed coffee
2 cups water
1 large carrot rough chopped in to 1 inch pieces
1 lb red creamer potatoes, washed scrubbed and cut in half
1/2 cup dried Newman's Own Organic Dried Apricots rough chopped (substitute any brand of dried fruit available to you)
flour to dust the beef
salt and pepper to taste
Newman's Own Organic Olive Oil (or any olive oil you have in your pantry)
1 3.25 ounce Newman's Own Organic Super Dark Chocolate (any dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa)

Procedure

- season the beef with salt and pepper and lightly dust with flour
- heat up a pan, add a few tablespoons of olive oil and in batches, sear off the beat until nice and brown then set aside
- add a little more olive oil then saute the garlic, onions and tomatoes in high heat for about a minute to caramelize it a little bit
- deglaze the pot with the coffee then add the browned beef, coriander seeds, bay leaves and chipotle sauce
- add the water and bring to a boil then cover and lower the fire and simmer for an hour
- then add the carrots, potatoes and apricot and simmer for another 30 minutes or until the beef is fork tender
- break up the chocolate in to smaller chunks then add to the sauce until well incorporated.

Serve with rice, pasta or tortillas. Enjoy!

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