Tsimmes (Beef, Carrot and Sweet Potato Stew) Recipe (2024)

I grew up in Iraq and the version with dried prunes and apricots was one of my favorite dishes. It was cooked with lamb and served over rice. It was eaten by the whole population especially in the south in the winter.A large Jewish population remained in Iraq after the fall of Babylon for over two thousand years. They influenced the culture, customs and the cuisine in Iraq.

The correct pronunciation for tsimmess begins with ts sound as in tse-the fly.Thanks for bringing back a great idea!

I made this with stew meat because that’s what I had, and I didn’t cook it the night before because I have no room in my fridge for a Dutch oven. It came out rich and hearty with delicious vegetables and tender meat anyway, and did not require much effort. It is definitely sweet, though, which was a new way to eat beef in our house, and which yielded mixed reviews. I’d still make it again, just maybe not for the pickier one, and with a few less prunes to cut the sweetness a bit.

Nu? There is no meat in my grandmother's delicious tzimmes. Prunes always, sweet potato or carrots, onion, maybe an apple. Always parve. Chulent has meat, but we make vegan chulent with beans.

I'm usully a big fan of Joan Nathan's recipes. But this recipe had a lot wrong w/it, and I followed it to a T. Then I spent the next day and half trying to salvage it.Really, the meat should have been floured and browned, but I didn't do that - it wasn't called for in the recipe. The meat was anemic. And the picture of the dish shows browned meat!! Deceptive. No umami, no depth.Also was very watery and flat. Had to make a roux using the sauce & add in spices over the following days.

I have never made, eaten, or seen tzimmes with meat. It always has carrots and honey/sugar, and typically has dried fruit and orange juice. Sometimes I've seen it with sweet potato, as you mentioned, or apple.

This was my first attempt at this dish that was my father’s fav until he got diabetes. Old versions too sweet with added brown sugar or honey. I liked the broth. I skimmed the fat second day but assure everyone there is plenty left and meat remains unctuous. Almost too sweet with just sweet potatoes carrots onions and prunes. Surprisingly easy. Made FOUR large servings as entree, not 6-8 unless as side.

The only part I would skip is skimming the fat off. Once the dish is all done, the fat is more flavorful and makes a great base spread for a sandwich...

Works great in an instant pot. I’ve used many combos of dried fruits over the years but always prunes. Apricots offset the sweetness of the prunes and I’ve used dried cherries, cranberries, plums in various combos depending on what I want to use up from the pantry. It all works.

Thank you Joan for making my mom very happy. At 95, a taste from the holidays and made by her son is a gift.Although she can't remember which sweet fruit she added, she loved the prunes and thought that was a perfect addition. Very easy to prepare, I was totally confident with your recipe.

Short Ribs regardless of where on the animal will render quite a bit of fat.

My Nana made it with matzoh balls, or other little dumplings. I have never been able to make it because my mother could only write down what she said: "Just enough sugar, a little of this, enough of that." I will start with this recipe and see if I can alter it to make is like Nana's!

I'm planning on doing this in the slow cooker, and would put everything in the pot on low for 8 hours. Since there's no browning for this recipe, it becomes an incredibly easy, yet festive, Rosh Hashanna main dish.I would limit the amount of water though, the onions and meat are going to give off a fair amount.

Also- Even if you don’t think you like prunes, Use them . They add a depth of flavor missing with apricots (I tried both). Easy to remove when serving. And No one says you can’t save and use or freeze fat removed once cold.

nilene: You ask, "Can this be frozen?" Yes, it can. See this from article that accompanies the recipe. "She usually makes a double batch, putting one in the freezer to save for emergencies like mine, or for visits from her children or grandchildren."

A little sweet for my taste, but otherwise an excellent recipe. Added a splash of red-wine vinegar for a more agro dolce taste.

It says to season it to taste, but would not know what season to put besides parsley and salt...

Swapped potatoes for cannelloni. Added the ends of the carrots, onions, parsley stems, and some celery bottoms to the cooking liquid. Whole peppercorns instead of ground pepper.

This recipe completely filled my seven quart dutch oven. It was necessary to resort to using a large bowl in order to mix all the ingredients. The finished recipe was a tad too sweet for my taste. It also needed a fair amount of salt to get the seasoning right. On the other hand, the two adults who shared the tsimmes with me loved it.

Would this work with chicken or chickpeas?

Almost the recipe my mother and I have used for years. Can't stress enough the importance to the flavor beef bones impart and a variety of dried fruits. I use dried apricots as well as prunes. When I stopped eating bovine I switched to using chicken with great results. Then I tried it using fresh fish. The more delicate white flesh fish disintegrated but the larger, darker sturdier fish were delicious! Now I use smoked fish for a new twist on the flavor.

My mother’s recipe (which I, of course, use!) is non-meat and includes honey and peeled chopped GINGER!! So yummy with the sweetness of the prunes and carrots. She also used to make it for Passover, adding mini knaidlach. Our recipe has some corn starch (or potato starch) for thickening the liquid as the tzimmis cooks in the oven.

My issue with freezing this and all dishes that contain carrots is that the carrots become "flabby". After 50 years of cooking I haven't solved this. Any suggestions?

This was a big disappointment. I have always made Molly Katzen’s vegetarian version of tsimmes and love it. This year I decided to try to make my tsimmes with meat. I used stew meat. My instincts told me that 8 cups of water would be too much. The finished product is bland and, yes, watery tasting. I was embarrassed when I served it to my holiday dinner guests, hence I am writing my first ever comment on a recipe. I will try the suggestion of making a roux with all the leftover liquid.

I boiled mine w onion carrot celery etc to make a stock instead of just meat and water

Pretty bland. I used short ribs, but skipped the onion because I find the flavor overwhelms everything else. Maybe that’s why my dish was just meh.

In a Dutch Oven, I used 2 boned chicken breasts instead of beef. On the same day: 1) sauteed onions and added spices. 2) then added cut up chicken breasts in cubes, sauteed a bit more 3) added 2 chopped, cubed, large sweet potatoes, 2 large onions, 4 large carrots. 4) Only needed 4 cups chicken broth. 5) Added 1 cup prunes. Waited till everything boiled, then put in oven for 1.5 hrs. So delicious, especially for holidays.

Thank you Joan for making my mom very happy. At 95, a taste from the holidays and made by her son is a gift.Although she can't remember which sweet fruit she added, she loved the prunes and thought that was a perfect addition. Very easy to prepare, I was totally confident with your recipe.

This was not my grandmother’s tsimmes, it was so much better. Followed some of the suggestions, browned meat first, used beef broth and some left over red wine to cover. Used the Japanese sweet potatoes, much less sweet and extra prunes. I also had some sprigs of fresh thyme that were drying out in the frig and added a big bunch of those. Did need to cook longer and finished on the stove. This was so rich and delicious. One pot decadent meal!

Finished in slow cooker.