When you see that a recipe is ‘Sicilian’ in nature, you can bet on the fact that it contains a combination of the following ingredients: citrus, fennel and olives.  With its proximity to North Africa and due to its climate, citrus, herbs, olives, and  tomatoes are staple ingredients in Sicilian cooking.  There is a lot of sweet-savory flavor combinations in their cuisine, as well as agrodolce or sweet and sour combinations.

For this lovely ‘Sicilian-Style Beef Stew‘, you sear beef chuck pieces in a touch of oil, then add them into your crock pot along with whole peeled tomatoes, shallots, red wine, fennel, rosemary and orange zest. The aroma of the orange peel combined with the tomatoes is just grand.  And to finish off the dish, you add in lovely green olives and a scoop of mashed potatoes for serving.  Hearty and delicious, this recipe will have you researching more ways to enjoy ‘Sicilian-inspired’ flavors and dishes.

(To view this recipe, click on the following link: http://www.marthastewart.com/1162565/slow-cooker-sicilian-style-beef-stew)

Tagged: beef chuck, beef stew, Castelvetrano olives, crock pot, fennel, green olives, Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart Living, mashed potatoes, orange peel, orange wedges, rosemary, shallots, Sicilian, Sicilian-style beef stew, Siciliy, slow cooker, stew, tomatoes