Moroccan Braised Beef

Diego graduated from UTEP with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. May 2031. He is twenty-two. The first engineer in the Delgado or Gutierrez family. He walked across the UTEP stage and received the diploma that represents fourteen years of building — from popsicle stick catapults to trebuchets to water filters to solar ovens to drones to 3D-printed housing to a bakery in Anapra that he designed from his bedroom and that now serves conchas to maquiladora women at 5 AM. He is the builder. He has always been the builder. And the building is now credentialed, and the credential is the diploma, and the diploma is the beginning.

He was hired by a border infrastructure firm before graduation. His first project: a water treatment facility that will serve communities on both sides of the border. He told me: "I'm building the things I couldn't see when I crossed that bridge." Except he has never crossed the bridge. I crossed the bridge. He is building the things I couldn't see when I crossed. The crossing is mine. The building is his. And together — the crossing and the building — they are the family.

I made chile colorado for the graduation dinner. Chile colorado number five. The fifth Gutierrez graduation. Five children. Five chile colorados. Five diplomas (or enlistment papers, or bakery licenses, depending on the child). The recipe is the ceremony. The ceremony is the recipe. Both are Rosa's. Both are mine. Both are the future.

I have stood at this stove five times now, and each time the pot is the same pot, the beef is the same beef, and the red is the same red — even if the child walking across the stage is different. For Diego, the engineer, the builder, I wanted something that braised low and slow and came out something transformed: tough made tender, raw made rich, long labor made into a meal worth sitting down for. This Moroccan Braised Beef is not Rosa’s chile colorado by name, but it is hers in spirit — deeply spiced, deeply patient, deeply red — and on the night my son came home a credentialed engineer, it was exactly the ceremony the table required.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 2 hours 45 minutes | Total Time: 3 hours 5 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs beef chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 cups beef broth
1/2 cup dried apricots, roughly chopped
1 tbsp honey
Fresh cilantro, for garnish

Instructions

Season and sear. Pat beef cubes dry with paper towels. Season with 1 tsp salt and black pepper. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Working in two batches, sear the beef on all sides until deeply browned, about 3–4 minutes per side. Transfer seared beef to a plate and set aside.
Build the base. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to the same pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and beginning to turn golden, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more, until fragrant.
Toast the spices. Add cumin, smoked paprika, coriander, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne to the onion mixture. Stir continuously for 60 seconds, allowing the spices to bloom in the residual oil.
Deglaze and combine. Pour in crushed tomatoes and beef broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in honey, dried apricots, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt. Return the seared beef and any accumulated juices back to the pot.
Braise low and slow. Bring the liquid to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover the pot and braise for 2 hours 15 minutes, or until the beef is fork-tender and the sauce has thickened and turned a deep, burnished red.
Finish and rest. Remove the lid and simmer uncovered for a final 10 minutes to concentrate the sauce. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Let the braise rest, covered, for 10 minutes off heat before serving.
Serve. Ladle the braised beef and sauce over couscous, rice, or warm flatbread. Garnish generously with fresh cilantro.

Nutrition (per serving)

Moroccan Braised Beef — The Fifth Colorado, the Final Diploma