A tagine is a type of clay or ceramic North African cookware that’s used to slow-cook succulent stew-like dishes. Here, foodie Dorah Sitole shares her favourite beef tagine recipe from her new cookbook.
SERVES 6–8
You will need:
3 tablespoons olive or sunflower oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 kg stewing beef, bones removed and cut into bite-size pieces
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
375 ml beef stock
750 g prunes, stoned
1 tablespoon clear honey
salt and freshly-ground black pepper
couscous, to serve
toasted sesame seeds, to garnish
toasted slivered almonds, to garnish
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How to make the beef tagine
1 In a large saucepan, heat the oil and sauté the onion, garlic, beef, parsley and spices, until the meat is browned all over.
2 Stir in the stock and simmer, covered, for about 1½ hours until the meat is tender.
3 Add the prunes, honey, and salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for a further 30 minutes.
4 Serve the beef tagine on couscous, garnished with sesame seeds and almonds.
ALSO TRY: Lucia Mthiyane’s mouthwatering flapjacks recipe
Cook’s tip
Couscous is made from tiny steamed balls of semolina flour and is actually a type of pasta. To prepare, follow the cooking instructions on the packet. To give the couscous added flavour, I stir through pomegranate seeds, chopped fresh coriander and a bit of olive oil.
