Beef And Prune Tagine Recipes

Steps:

• Par-boil the carrots in boiling water for about 3 -5 minutes.
• Preheat the electric Tagine or crock pot to High.
• Heat up half of the olive oil in a large frying pan and quickly brown the onion quarters over a fairly high heat until charred & coloured well. Tip them into the crock pot.
• Add the chopped garlic & par-boiled carrots to the onions in the crock pot.
• Make up 1/2 pint of stock with a beef stock cube. Add the honey to the the stock & ALL the dried spices. Tip the honey & spiced stock into the crock pot & mix well. Add the cinnamon stick.
• Add the tinned tomatoes, dates & prunes to the crock pot - mix well.
• Heat up the remaining olive oil and brown the beef cubes in small batches to sear & seal them. As you finish browning them, add the beef to the crock pot.
• When you have finished browning all the beef, give the whole mixture a good stir & season with salt & pepper.
• Cook on high for between 6 & 10 hours depending on your crock pot's wattage & settings.
• Serve the beef tagine with fluffy couscous and garnish with the chopped fresh coriander & toasted flaked almonds. It also works well with rice too.
• P.S. Watch out for the cinnamon stick! We sometimes award the lucky winner of the cinnamon stick with an extra glass of wine!
• P.P.S. You can use dates & prunes which have not been pitted, they do tend to hold their shape better too, just warn your guests that they must look out for the stones!

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.

Steps:

• Put the butter and oil in a large saucepan.
• When the butter is melted, put in the spices, coriander and onion.
• Let fry for 30 seconds, then add the beef and stir well to coat.
• Cover the meat with a cup of water and the saffron mixture.
• The water should be just over halfway up the meat.
• Bring to the boil and then lower to a gentle simmer.
• Add half the prunes and cook for 1-1/2 hours until the meat becomes tender and juicy.
• Keep the pot mostly covered during this time -- the only time I lift the cover is for a few seconds if the heat builds too much and it starts to boil. You need to keep this dish at a very low simmer.
• Add remaining prunes along with the honey, salt and pepper.
• Simmer for another 30 minutes or until the meat is tender and the liquid has thickened and reduced.
• Serve with the sesame seeds and almonds on top.

Steps:

• Pat the beef dry using kitchen paper. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large flameproof casserole, and fry the beef in batches over a high heat until browned on all sides. Transfer the browned batches to a bowl using a slotted spoon as you continue frying the remainder.
• When all the meat is browned, heat another 1 tbsp oil in the casserole, and fry the onion for 12 mins until soft and pale golden. Stir in the allspice, cloves, cinnamon stick, juniper berries, and a generous grating of nutmeg.
• Pour in the stout and cook over a medium heat until it has reduced by half. Stir in the stock, carrots, sugar, bay leaves and some seasoning. Return the browned meat to the pan, and bring the mixture the boil. When it's boiling, immediately reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook for 1 hr 30 mins, stirring and checking the seasoning every so often. In the last 20 mins of cooking time, stir in the prunes (if you do this any sooner, the prunes will fall apart).
• Meanwhile, peel the baby onions and fry these in a small frying pan in the remaining oil over a medium-low heat until golden on the outside and soft in the middle (you may need to add a little stock or water to the pan to help them soften, if they're slightly bigger). The baby onions should be tender, but not falling apart. Stir these into the braise, check the seasoning again, and scatter over the chopped parsley before serving.