This delicious dish is served at special occasions such as weddings. It can be cooked in a traditional tagine pot or an ordinary large pot. NB Many tagines sold in the UK are only suitable for use in an oven rather than on the hob.
– 2 pounds (1 kilo) tender beef or lamb
– 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
– 2 onions (grated)
– 2 garlic cloves (crushed)
– 1 teaspoon ground ginger
– 1/2 teaspoon ground Turmeric
– 1 teaspoon salt
– 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
– 1 cinnamon stick
– A pinch of ras el hanout (optional)
Caramelized prunes (cooked separately):
– 10.5 oz (300 grams) prunes
– 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
– 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
– 2 tablespoons honey
– 1 cup sauce from the meat tagine
Decoration:
– 2-3 handfuls of almonds
– 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Cooking the Meat
On low heat, in a large pot, drizzle the vegetable oil.
Grate the onions and garlic cloves and gently fry.
Add ground ginger, turmeric, pepper, salt, a pinch of Ras El Hanout (if using) and a cinnamon stick. Pour a little water and mix all ingredients together.
Add the meat pieces to the pot and cook until browned.
Add water to almost cover the meat, raise the heat to medium-high, cover the pot, and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat to medium and keep cooking until the meat is done.
Check on the tagine from time to time, stirring and adding water if necessary. The meat should always be half-covered with water. At the end the meat should be soft and the sauce thick. Depending on the cut, it may take 1 to 2 hours.
Preparing the Prunes
While the meat is cooking, soak the prunes in boiling water for around 15 minutes to soften them up.
In a separate saucepan, on medium heat, melt the butter.
Add 1 cup of the tagine sauce to the butter.
Drain the prunes and place them in the saucepan. Cover and cook for around 10 minutes or until the prunes become soft.
Once the prunes are tender, add the honey and ground cinnamon. Gently mix in the prunes, cover the saucepan, set the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes. The prunes are ready when they sit on a thick syrupy sauce and are very soft.
Preparing the Almonds
Put the almonds in a saucepan of water and boil for 5-10 minutes.
Drain the almonds and peel off the skin.
Fry the almonds in butter until golden brown.
To serve
First plate the meat, pour the sauce over and around the meat pieces, top with caramelized prunes, and add a handful of fried almonds.
Serve immediately with crusty bread.
