This beef stew for two replicates the flavors in tzimmes, a sweet stew traditionally served at Rosh Hashanah to start the New Year. This version gets natural sweetness from cherries and butternut squash.

Makes 2 servings, about 1 1/2 cups each

ACTIVE TIME: 30 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 2 hours

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

2 1/2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
8 ounces bottom-round beef, trimmed, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 large shallot, halved and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 cup reduced-sodium beef broth
2 1/2 cups cubed peeled butternut squash
1/3 cup dried cherries

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large ovenproof saucepan over medium heat. Add beef and cook until browned on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low, add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and shallot to the pan; cook, stirring often, for 1 minute. Stir in thyme, sage, salt and pepper; cook for 30 seconds. Return the beef to the pan and sprinkle with flour. Cook, stirring often, until the flour browns, about 3 minutes. Pour in broth; scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking until the liquid bubbles and thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir in squash.
4. Cover the pan and transfer to the oven. Bake for 1 hour. Stir in cherries, cover and continue baking until the meat is tender when pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes more.
Makes 2 servings, about 1 1/2 cups each.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 405 calories; 12 g fat (3 g sat, 6 g mono); 74 mg cholesterol; 43 g carbohydrate; 31 g protein; 5 g fiber; 659 mg sodium; 977 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (390% daily value), Vitamin C (60% dv), Potassium (28% dv), Iron (25% dv), Magnesium (20% dv).
2 1/2 Carbohydrate Servings
Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 1 fruit, 3 1/2 lean meat, 1 fat

I'm not sure if a bottom round beef is kosher and have checked with a website that would know. I should know the answer in a couple of days.

Leann, West Hartford, CT

Here's a follow up answer to whether bottom round beef is kosher. (Note: I have not made this recipe, but had to add a rating in order to post this message.) Answer re. cut of beef is below. Source: www.askmoses.com. It is possible to make kosher the hind quarters of a cow, however, it involves a complicated process of removing certain pieces from there. This process basically destroys all the cuts of the hind quarters. I have never seen kosher hind quarters and it is basically not done any more. All kosher beef sold today is from the fore quarters. Thank you for coming to AskMoses. Rabbi Loschak AskMoses Email Team

Leann Sherman, West Hartford, CT

This was great! Very easy and delicious. Looks a lot more like mush than in the picture, but tastes great!

Deeni, Needham, MA

I'm not sure why they have you cook this for 1.5 hours. I cooked it for an hour, and the meat was overdone and the squash was mush. You don't need a large pan, either. A medium sized one will work fine... in fact, a large pan is much too big if you're supposed to be cooking the beef and squash completely submerged as in a regular stew. Despite those things, it actually does taste pretty good, but I don't think I'll make it again.

Jen, Portland, ME

One of the greatest dishes I've ever made. I did make some changes but I bet it would have been just as good without any. I just used chicken thighs and threw all the ingredients into a slow cooker on low for 6 hours. I cracked the lid half-way through to let some steam to escape and allow for a thicker broth. This is an absolute keeper!

Anonymous