Beef Tagine

Time of preparation: 5 to 6 Hours
Time of cooking: 50 Minutes

1. Mix all the spice rub ingredients together in a small bowl.
2. Put the beef into a large bowl, massage it with the spice rub, then cover with cling film and put into the fridge for a couple of hours – ideally overnight – that way the spices really penetrate and flavour the meat.

Olive Oil	6 to 8 table spoon
Onion (finely chopped)	1
Fresh Coriander (chopped)	1 table spoon
Chickpeas (boiled & drained)	400 grams
Tomatoes (blanched & chopped)	400 grams
Vegetable stock	800 ml
Squash (deseeded and cut into 5cm chunks)	1 small Squash/ 800 grams
Prunes (stoned & roughly torn)	100 grams
Flaked Almonds (toasted)	2 table spoon

3. Heat a generous lug of olive oil in a tagine or casserole and fry the meat over a medium heat for 5 minutes.
4. Add chopped onion and coriander stalks and fry for another 5 minutes.
5. Tip in the chickpeas and tomatoes, then pour in 400ml of stock and stir.
6. Bring to the boil, then put the lid on the pan or cover with foil and reduce to a simmer for 1½ hours.
7. Add squash, 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 1½ hours.
8. Later on 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.
9. The beef should be really tender and flaking apart now, so have a taste and season with a pinch or two of salt.
10. Scatter the coriander leaves over the tagine along with the toasted almonds, then take it straight to the table with a big bowl of lightly seasoned couscous.
Tip; Ras el hanout (Arabic for “top of the shop”) is a blend of the best spices a vendor has in his shop. The mixture varies depending on who is selling it, but can be a combination of anywhere from 10 to 100 spices. It usually includes nutmeg, cinnamon, mace, aniseed, turmeric, cayenne, peppercorns, dried galangal, ginger, cloves, cardamom, chilli, allspice and orris root.