Beef & Apricot Tagine

This sweet & spicy tagine with melt in the mouth tender beef is a wonderful taste combination!  It is so quick and easy to prepare before slow cooking in the oven.    

• Difficulty: Easy
• Category: Comfort Food, Mid Week Meals, Winter Warmers
• Cuisine: North African
• Cooking Method: One Pot Dish

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 kg braising steak (fat trimmed & cut into 3cm cubes)
• sea salt & pepper (freshly ground)
• 2 onions (peeled & finely sliced)
• 3 garlic cloves (peeled & finely chopped)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp hot chilli powder
• 3 tbsp runny honey
• 400 g tin of chopped tomatoes
• 400 g tin of chickpeas (drained)
• 400 ml beef stock
• 75 g dried apricots (halved)

To serve

• 1 small bunch of fresh flat leaf parsley (finely chopped)
• cous cous or rice

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas mark 4.
2. Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole or large frying pan. Season the beef well and gently fry for 1 minute with the onions and garlic until lightly coloured. Now add the cinnamon, coriander, cumin and chilli powder and gently cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add the honey, tomatoes, chickpeas and stock to the dish and bring to the simmer. Place the beef tagine into a oven proof Tagine or casserole dish and cover, cook in the oven for 1 hour.
4. Now add the apricots to the tagine, replace the lid and cook for a further 1 hour or until the beef is tender.
5. To serve, sprinkle with fresh parsley and couscous or rice. Enjoy!