Tasty Beef Tagine Recipes

BEEF TAGINE

Steps:

• Mix all the spice rub ingredients together in a small bowl with a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
• Put the beef into a large bowl, massage it with the spice rub, then cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge for a couple of hours, preferably overnight.
• When you're ready to cook, peel and finely chop the onion, and pick the coriander leaves, finely chopping the stalks.
• Heat a generous lug of oil in a tagine or casserole pan over a medium heat, add the meat and fry for 5 minutes to seal. Add the onion and coriander stalks and fry for a further 5 minutes.
• Drain and tip in the chickpeas, followed by the tomatoes, breaking them up with a spoon, then pour in 400ml of stock and stir well. Bring to the boil, then cover and reduce to a low heat for 1½ hours.
• Meanwhile, deseed and chop the squash into 5cm chunks, then destone and roughly tear the prunes. Toast the almonds in a dry frying pan until lightly golden, then tip into a bowl.
• When the time's up, add the squash, prunes and remaining stock. Give everything a gentle stir, then pop the lid back on and continue cooking for another 1½ hours. Keep an eye on it, adding splashes of water, if needed.
• At this stage, remove the lid and check the consistency. If it seems a bit too runny, simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, more with the lid off - the beef should be really tender and flaking apart now, so have a taste and season to taste.
• Scatter the coriander leaves over the tagine along with the toasted almonds. Serve with a big bowl of lightly seasoned couscous and dive in.

BEEF TAGINE}

Steps:

• In a bowl, mix the chunks of stewing beef with the Tagine Paste, set aside to marinate for an hour, or as long as possible - overnight if you have time. Drizzle the olive oil in the pan and fry the onions in a frying pan on a medium heat until golden, add the garlic and fry for a further 2 minutes. Remove the onions and garlic from the pan and fry the stewing beef for a few minutes, just until brown all over. Turn the heat down to the lowest possible setting. Take your casserole dish with a tight fitting lid (or tagine, if you have one) and put the sliced onions and garlic in the bottom. Sit your beef on top of the onion mix. Add your saffron (with water), beef stock and cinnamon stick to the pan. Bring to the boil and then turn down to a very gentle simmer for 1.5 hours. After 1.5 hours, add your chopped preserved lemon skin and apricots to the pan and stir to ensure they are covered with the liquid as much as possible. Simmer for a further ½ an hour. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if required. Serve the beef tagine over a bed of couscous, sprinkling some of the chopped coriander and flaked almonds or pistachios over the top of each portion.

BEEF TAGINE

Steps:

• Serving suggestion: Lightly seasoned couscous.
• To make the spice rub: Mix the ras el hanout, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, paprika, salt, and black pepper together in a small bowl. Put the beef into a large bowl, massage it with the spice rub, then cover with plastic wrap or clingfilm and put into the refrigerator for a couple of hours-ideally overnight. That way the spices really penetrate and flavour the meat. When you're ready to cook, heat a generous lug of olive oil in a tagine or casserole-type pan and fry the meat over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the chopped onion and coriander (cilantro) stalks and fry for another 5 minutes. Tip in the chickpeas and tomatoes, then pour in 1 3/4 cups/400 ml stock and stir. Bring to the boil, then put the lid on the pan or cover with foil and reduce to a simmer for 1 1/2 hours. At this point add your squash, the prunes and the rest of the stock. Give everything a gentle stir, then pop the lid back on the pan and continue cooking for another 1 1/2 hours. Keep an eye on it and add a splash of water if it looks too dry. Once the time is up, take the lid off and check the consistency. If it seems a bit too runny, simmer for 5 to 10 minutes more with the lid off. The beef should be really tender and flaking apart now, so have a taste and season with a pinch or 2 of salt. Scatter the coriander (cilantro) leaves over the tagine along with the toasted almonds, then take it straight to the table with a big bowl of lightly seasoned couscous and dive in.

BEEF TAGINE WITH SWEET POTATOES

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole and fry the meat, together with the turmeric and seasoning, over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until the meat is evenly browned, stirring frequently.
• cover the pan tightly and cook for 15 minutes over a gentle heat, without lifting the lid.
• preheat the oven to 350.
• add the onion, chili, paprika, cayenne and cumin to the pan with just enough water to cover the meat.
• cover tightly and cook in the oven for 1 - 1 1/2 hours, till the meat is very tender, checking occasionally and adding extra water if necessary, to keep the stew moist.
• meanwhile, peel the sweet potatoes and slice them straight into a bowl of salted water to avoid discoloring.
• transfer to a pan, bring to a boil, simmer for 2-3 minutes, drain.
• stir the chopped herbs into the meat, adding a little extra water if the stew appears dry.
• arrange the potato slices over the meat and dot with butter.
• cover and cook in the oven for a further 10 minutes, till the potatoes feel very tender.
• increase the oven temp to 400.
• remove the lid of the casserole and cook in the oven or under the broiler for 5-10 minutes till the potatoes are golden.
• serve at once.