A Madras Stew

1. 1

   Dice all the fruits and vegetables. Using a Dutch oven or similar heavy pan, combine the beets with the wine, orange juice (I use my hand lemon squeezer for oranges and lemons; see photo) and honey. Bring to a boil and simmer for 25 minutes.

2. 2

   Heat a heavy skillet with 2 olive oil. When hot, add the coriander, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, saffron (optional) and sumac (or use more lemon zest instead of sumac). Next add the ginger, almonds, lemon and orange zest.

3. 3

   Add the sliced onions to the spices and cook until translucent. Set aside.

4. 4

   After the beets have simmered for 25 minutes, add the carrots and the brown sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes.

5. 5

   Next add any large diced plums and simmer 15-20 minutes. Add any small cherry plums in the last 10 minutes.

6. 6

   Add the spiced onion mix to the large pot. Add the yellow raisins if desired. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes or until tender. The sauce should have thickened in this process. If not, continue to reduce. If you are not that particular about all these cooking times, well, you could simply put everything in the pot at the beginning and simmer. The plums will cook down in both instances. In either case, just before serving, add the fresh lemon juice.

7. 7

   Ladle this into a bowl to serve. Garnish with a medley of fresh herbs. You can add a dollop of sour cream if you like.

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.