Beef and Prune Tagine

Submitted by Sackville

"We had this quite often during our trips to Morocco. The actual recipe is one I adapted after we came home but I think it's pretty close to what you'd get in Morocco if you went there on holiday. Serve with rice or couscous."

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 20mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Serves: 2

ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄2 onion, finely chopped
• 4 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped
• 250 g stewing beef, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1⁄2 teaspoon saffron, soaked in
• 2 tablespoons boiling water
• 200 g stoned prunes
• 1 tablespoon clear honey

• Topping

• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
• 10 almonds, toasted

directions

1. Put the butter and oil in a large saucepan.
2. When the butter is melted, put in the spices, coriander and onion.
3. Let fry for 30 seconds, then add the beef and stir well to coat.
4. Cover the meat with a cup of water and the saffron mixture.
5. The water should be just over halfway up the meat.
6. Bring to the boil and then lower to a gentle simmer.
7. Add half the prunes and cook for 1-1/2 hours until the meat becomes tender and juicy.
8. 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.
9. Add remaining prunes along with the honey, salt and pepper.
10. Simmer for another 30 minutes or until the meat is tender and the liquid has thickened and reduced.
11. Serve with the sesame seeds and almonds on top.

Reviews

[Thymestudio]

Very good I loved the sweet and savory combination!! I started this on my stove cooking the meat and the onions and then transfered it to my tagine to slow cook. I loved the flavor and served with couscous was a nice change for dinner.

 

[Sweet Baboo]

We loved this. There is nothing I can add to what other reviewers have said, other than to say I baked mine in the oven at 300F for 1 1/2 hours, and the sauce was thick and delicious, and the meat tender.

 

[ZigZagWanderer]

Agreed, 10 stars! And easy to make too! That said, if you have a limited palate, you won't like this dish. But if you have electic tastes, you must try this out. I made mine in a cast iron frying pot, added 1 teaspoon paprika, and substituted parsley for the coriander/cilantro (my wife doesn't like cilantro, but I suspect the dish would be even better with it.) I served it over Alton Brown's baked brown rice (I'll NEVER boil brown rice again!) It was great.

 

[gunthera1]

This dish was absolutely fabulous! The meat was tender and the sauce had a sweet and savory flavor. Yummy!!!

 

[MarieRynr]

If I could give this 10 stars I would. It was incredibly delicious. From the time I saw the photo of this dish I was intrigued and knew I had to make it. Unfortunatly I do not have a tagine, but did not let that stop me. The smell from the momennt the spices hit the pan with the onions was incredible. I cooked this in a le Crueset stovetop to oven casserole dish, so I was able to do the spices and meat on top of the stove and finish it off in the oven. I baked it at about 160*F for 1 1/2 hours. The sauce was thick and lucious with an incredible flavour. I was a bit worried it might be too spicy but it was just the right amount. I toasted the nuts and sesame seeds in the oven with the casserole for the last 15 minutes of it's baking, and they added a delightfully crunchy finish to the dish. I'd say this recipe is a definite keeper! My husband also really enjoyed it. Thanks SG!