| 1 | Stir the flour, thyme, 1 tsp. salt and ?tsp. pepper together in a shallow bowl. |
| 2 | Turn the cubes of stew meat in the flour to coat well, shake off excess and transfer to a plate. |
| 3 | Heat olive oil in a heavy kettle. |
| 4 | Add the beef cubes, a few at a time, and brown them well on all sides. |
| 5 | As they are browned, transfer them to paper towels to drain. |
| 6 | When all the meat is browned, discard excess oil but do not wash the kettle. |
| 7 | Add the wine, beef stock and crushed tomatoes; set kettle over medium heat. |
| 8 | Bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. |
| 9 | Return beef to the kettle, then add cuminseed, chili powder and bay leaf and season to taste with salt and pepper. |
| 10 | Cover kettle and set it on the middle rack of the oven. |
| 11 | Bake at 350°F. for 1 ?hours, stirring occasionally and regulating the oven temperature to maintain the stew at a steady simmer. |
| 12 | Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. |
| 13 | Cut an "x" in the root end of each pearl onion and drop them into the boiling water for 1 minute. |
| 14 | Drain them and drop them into a bowl of cold water. |
| 15 | When completely cool, drain and peel them. |
| 16 | After the stew has been in the oven about 1 hour, stir in the onions. |
| 17 | Continue to cook the stew, uncovered. |
| 18 | After another 15 minutes, stir in the garlic, ?cup parsley and the olives. |
| 19 | Continue to cook, uncovered, until stew is reduced and thickened to your liking and beef is tender. |
| 20 | Transfer to a serving bowl, sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately. |
| 21 | The authors note that "depending on the rest of the menu, this stew seems mexican or mediterranean because it is hearty and intriguingly seasoned with cuminseed..." from _the silver palate cookbook_ by julee rosso and sheila lukins with michael mclaughlin. |
| 22 | New york: workman publishing company, inc., 198Pg. |
| 23 | 125. isbn 0-89480-204-6 |
