Beef tagine with dried fruits
“Spice up your life with Moroccan flavours.”
For the tagine
- 1.5kg oyster blade beef
- 1 tbsp ground ras el hanout*
- 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 large onions, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp olive oil or ghee
- good pinch saffron
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1/2 tspn hot pepper flakes (optional)
- 8 pieces sawn marrow bone
- 1 x 4cm piece cinnamon stick
For the dried fruits
- 8 dried figs
- 16 dried apricots
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp rosewater
- 8 large prunes
*We bought ready-mixed whole-spice ras el hanout in Morocco (and declared it at
Customs) and it is very fragrant and pungent. If you want to make your own, here
is one suggestion based on an investigation of the mix I have. Invent your own
spice mixture if you prefer.
Ras el hanout
Grind the following to a coarse
powder.
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 cloves
- 3 cardamom pods
- 1 piece mace
- 3 allspice berries
- 6 fennel seeds
I think this is best cooked completely one day and then slowly reheated the next day. The reheating can be done on top of the stove in a traditional tagine if you have one, or in the original casserole dish and then be served from a tagine. Steam reconstituted couscous over water in a separate pot to make it fluffy.
Method
For the tagine
Chop beef into large chunks. Mix meat and ras el hanout spices with onion and garlic. Leave for an hour or so.
Preheat oven to 150C. Heat the oil or ghee in a very heavy-based casserole dish. Tip in the meat mixture and allow to turn in the hot oil or ghee for a few minutes until the spice mixture smells fragrant. Scatter over the saffron, salt and pepper flakes if using. Mix through and place the marrow bones on top of the meat. Add the cinnamon stick and just enough water to barely cover the meat. Press a piece of baking paper right down on the meat and bones and place in the oven for 2 1/2 hours.
Meanwhile, prepare the fruit
Place figs and apricots in a pot and barely cover with water. Bring to boil, adjust heat and simmer for 10 minutes, covered.
Add the sugar, the rosewater and the prunes and simmer for an
additional 5 minutes. Allow to cool. The fruits will continue to swell and will
absorb most of the liquid.
Remove casserole from the oven. The meat will
probably still be chewy. Tip in the fruit mixture and stir and lift to mix the
marrow bones and fruit into the meat. Taste the liquid for salt and pepper.
Adjust if necessary. Return to the oven for a further hour.
To serve
Serve with couscous.
Serves 8.
