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Braised Beef with Dried Figs and Quick-Pickled Cabbage
For this rich, warming beef braise, adapted from a recipe in “Aegean” by Marianna Leivaditaki, London chef and native of Crete, we use bone-in beef shanks, braise them until meltingly tender, pluck the meat off the bones and return it to the flavorful braising liquid. Dried figs and orange zest lend sweetness that balances the meatiness of the shanks and perfume the dish with the essence of the Mediterranean, while ground juniper berries add piney, resinous notes. Leivaditaki serves the braise with a quick-pickled salad that brightens the flavors and counters the beef’s silkiness with a little crunch.
4 to 6
Servings
Tip
Don’t use Calimyrna (Smyrna) figs, which are brownish-tan. The seeds have an especially crunchy, gritty texture that doesn’t soften with cooking. Small black mission figs, which are widely available, are the better choice.
3¼ hours
1¼ hours active
For the Braise
-
1
tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
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01To make the braise, in a large Dutch oven over medium-high, heat the oil until barely smoking. Add the shanks and cook, occasionally turning them, until well browned on both sides, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes with juices, the broth, juniper and figs, then bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Cover, reduce to medium-low and simmer until a skewer inserted into the meat meets no resistance, about 2 hours; stir once about halfway through.
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In the show, she used fresh tomatoes, whole juniper berries (which she removed before serving), a few fresh figs in addition to dried, water and not beef broth, and much more sugar in the pickled vegetables.