Moroccan Beef and Prune Tagine
PHOTOS + VIDEO BY MARIA MIGUEL + BIBIANA NUNES
If you’ve ever been to Morocco, you’ve undoubtedly had your fair share of tagines. My favorite was the sweet and savory combination of beef and prunes.
The variety of tagines is endless because you can cook all different types of meat, seafood, and vegetables in them. (Yup, a tagine is both the dish you eat and the pot you cook it in.)
Before you question the idea of prunes, you’ve got to try it! Their caramelized sweetness perfectly balances the deeply spiced, richness of the meat. You’ll be wondering why you don’t cook with prunes more often.
And, If you don’t have a tagine, you can use a heavy bottomed pot with a lid, like the dutch oven I’m using in this recipe.
ingredients
2 pounds stewing beef, cut into three-inch pieces
2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup neutral oil (like avocado or canola)
2 large onions, grated ~4 cups
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon saffron threads, soaked in 2 tablespoons warm water
1 cinnamon stick
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ - 2 cups water or stock
Handful of cilantro sprigs
1/2 pound dried prunes
2 tablespoon salted butter
4 tablespoon honey
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
Fried almonds for garnish (omit to make nut-free)
Sesame seeds, toasted
directions
In a large dutch oven, heat the oil to medium-high heat.
Season beef with salt and pepper and brown the beef on all sides in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan.
Remove the browned meat and set aside.
In the same pot, add the onions, stir, and lower the heat to medium-low.
Cook the onions until they are soft and translucent, about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Increase the heat to medium, add the spices, and cook uncovered for a couple minutes, stirring.
Add garlic, return the meat, top with water or stock and steeped saffron liquid, and place the cilantro on top.
Bring to almost a boil, reduce to medium low, cover, and simmer gently for 2 hours or until the meat is tender.
Halfway through, after about 1 hour, reserve 1 cup of cooking liquid from the pot and set aside to prepare the prunes. (Replace with more water or stock if necessary.)
Add prunes to a small pot of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes to soften.
Drain them and discard the water.
In the same small pot, melt the butter and add the reserved 1 cup of cooking liquid, softened prunes, cinnamon and honey.
Cook over medium low heat for about 5 minutes until you have a thick syrup.
Once the meat is tender, remove it from the pot and reduce the sauce until thickened to your liking and adjust seasoning as necessary.
Return meat and stir to coat.
To serve, arrange the meat and sauce on a serving platter and spoon the prunes and syrup on top.
Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and almonds, if using.
