Beef Stew with Mloukia Leaves

“You’ll either love this or hate it!” a cook in the Tunisian city of Gabès told me, referring to a very dark, blackish-green-sauced beef stew that had simmered for seven hours over hot coals. In fact, I liked it a lot and am including the recipe here along with her caveat. This dish won’t be to everyone’s taste, but here it is for the delectation of all you culinary adventurers out there.

The principal flavoring is powdered dried mloukia leaves, which are green but turn very