Khalia - Georgian Beef Stew

Directions

1. Cut the meat into 1/2 to 3/4 inch small cubes. Optional: Put in water to cover, bring to a boil, drain and rinse to remove all scum. This will prevent the beef from exuding water while you're trying to fry it.
2. Put a Tbsp of olive oil in a large saute pan on medium high heat and brown the meat on all sides (about 5 minutes). Do in batches if the pan is not big enough to hold all the meat at one time. Add the onions to the pan, along with all the browned meat and the rest rest of the olive oil (3 Tbsp). Saute the onions until translucent but not browned.
3. Making the Stock:
4. Soak the dried sour plums for an hour, then chop fine. If you using golden prunes (aloo) that are moist, you do not need to soak them. Just remove the pits and chop them. If you can't find either of these, you can use 3 Tbsps of Tamarind Paste (found in most middle eastern or Indian groceries) or 3 Tbsps of Tkemali sauce (sauce made from dried plums found in Russian groceries).
5. Put the stock, sour plums, and tomato paste in a blender and puree.
6. Grind the spices together and add the stock and the spices to the pan with the beef and onions. Cover and simmer slowly for 1 1/2 hours. The sauce should be a thick gravy...not dry but not thin either. If necessary, add more beef stock.
7. Put the seasoning ingredients (garlic, walnuts, salt, pepper, cilantro and tarragon) into the blender and grind very fine. Add the seasonings to the stew, stir, check for flavor and add more salt, pepper, or tarragon if desired. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, then remove from heat and serve.