“I cook with wine. Sometimes I even add it to the food.” – W.C. Fields
Beef Tagine (serves 8)
A Tagine is like an old fashioned slow cooked stew…except it has lots of amazing spices and tastes fantastic. You don’t need an authentic Moroccan tagine; a large saucepan with a tight fitting lid will give the same result. If you think the lid is a little loose, cover the saucepan with alfoil, then the lid.
Ingredients:
1 kg stewing steak, diced
¼ cup olive oil
1 onion peeled and finely chopped
Bunch fresh coriander
1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
800ml vegetable stock
800g Jap pumpkin chopped into 5cm squares
1 piece Woolmore’s Fine Foods Preserved Lemons (flesh removed, washed, diced)
100g prunes, stoned and halved
2 tblspn flaked almonds
¼ cup Woolmore’s Fine Foods Star Anise Sticky Balsamic Vinegar
For the spice rub:
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
4 tblspn ras el hanout spice mix*
Method:
Gently mix the spice mix into the beef. Cover and let rest in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight.
Heat ¼ cup of olive oil in a tagine or large saucepan and fry the meat over a medium heat for 5 mins.
Add chopped onion and coriander stems and fry for a further 5 mins. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes and stock and bring to the boil, then put the lid on and reduce to a simmer for 1 ½ hours.
When time is up add pumpkin, prunes, Woolmore’s Fine Foods Preserved Lemons and Woolmore’s Fine Foods Star Anise Sticky Balsamic Vinegar. Cover and cook for a further 1 ½ hours.
Check consistency, if too runny, simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to thicken without the lid on. When ready, scatter coriander leaves and flaked almonds and serve immediately.
*(Ras el hanout (From the top shelf) is a blend of the best spices a spice merchant has in his shop and can be a combination of 10 to 100 different spices. The mix usually includes allspice, chilli, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, mace, aniseed, turmeric, cayenne, peppercorns, ginger and cloves).
