First published in A Pretty Talent:

In the previous blog I shared the recipe for the aromatic Honeymoon loaf that has been flavored with sweet spices. This tear and share loaf is the perfect accompaniment for a spicy meat dish. In today's blog I share the recipe for Beef Short Rib Stew prepared in a slow cooker. When done, the meat will literally fall from the bone and the dish will be lovely and hot. How hot, depends entirely on how generous you are with the addition of hot sauce. However you prefer it, I recommend you put this large pot in the middle of the table along with the Honeymoon Loaf, allowing everyone to tear a piece of the bread off and dip it in the stew.

You will need two large pieces of short rib, approximately 500 g. Put this in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Chop up two onions and add this to the pot.

Whenever you are making a spicy food, adding a little bit of sweetness is always a good idea. For today's dish, I add some natural sweetness by chopping up an apple and adding it to the pot.

Chop up three tomatoes and add it to the pot.

Add 1 cup (250 ml) water, 50 ml hot sauce (you may replace this with 10 ml dried chilies), 50 ml vinegar and 50 ml chutney.

Now it is time to add the spices: 1 teaspoon (5 ml) cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon (2,5 ml) mixed spice, 1/2 teaspoon (2,5 ml) cloves, 1/2 teaspoon (2,5 ml) turmeric, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) cumin and 1 tablespoon (12,5 ml) crushed garlic. Adding a teaspoonful (5 ml) salt is optional and largely depends upon personal taste. If you are unsure about this, you can always add it shortly before the end of the cooking time without any negative results on taste.

Peel and chop up four potatoes before adding this to the pot as well.

Put the lid on and allow to cook on high for 6-7 hours or on low for 8-9 hours.

If the stew is very runny, you can bind the sauce with a flour and water paste. However, the runnier the sauce is, the more easily the bread will be able to absorb it. Bear this in mind.

Once you are ready to dish up, you can stir the stew through.

Serve with the Lovely Honeymoon Loaf, I blogged about yesterday. You will find that the sweet spices in the bread supports the hot spices of the stew beautifully.

Marietjie Uys (Miekie) is a published author. You can buy the books here:

You can purchase Designs By Miekie 1 here.

Jy kan Kom Ons Teken en Verf Tuinstories hier koop.

Jy kan Kom Ons Kleur Tuinstories In hier koop.

Jy kan Tuinstories hier koop.

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