Beef or lamb tagine with prunes, abricots or dry fruits
- Cooking time : ~2 hours
Beef tagine with prunes is a classic Moroccan dish known for its rich, complex flavors and sweet-savory profile. The tagine is a slow-cooked stew that combines tender beef with aromatic spices and sweet prunes, creating a delightful contrast of tastes and textures.
Variations
Nuts: Some variations include other nuts, such as walnuts or pine nuts.
Fruits: You can use other dried fruits, like apricots or dates, instead of prunes for a different flavor profile.
Spicy: Add a pinch of cayenne pepper or fresh chili if you prefer a spicier dish.
Cultural Context
Traditional Dish: Beef tagine with prunes reflects the Moroccan tradition of combining sweet and savory flavors in a single dish.
Special Occasions: It’s often served during special occasions and family gatherings, making it a centerpiece of Moroccan cuisine.
This beef tagine with prunes offers a rich tapestry of flavors and textures that highlight the complexity of Moroccan cooking.
Required Ingredients
- 1 kg beef shank or lamb
- ½ kg prunes or abricots (not both)
- 2 onions
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 30 ml olive oil
- 30 ml vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon of turmeric
- 1 teaspoon of ginger
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (or cinnamon stick)
- 1 teaspoon of sugar (used only to cook prunes or abricots, not meat)
Optional Ingredients
- 50g of almond fillet, walnuts or both ( only with abricots)
- A table spoon of sesame (only with prunes)
Cooking Instructions
- Cube the onions into medium-sized pieces and set aside.
- Place the chunks of meat in a big bowl.
- Next, add one teaspoon of each of the following spices: cinnamon, salt, ginger, turmeric, and Ras Elhanoute (optional).
- Add 4 table spoons of vegetable oil and 2 teaspoons of garlic.
- Mix everything to create a marinade (charmoula).
- Heat the cooking pot for about 30 seconds on low heat after adding three to four tablespoons of vegetable oil.
- It is time to use the beef marinade we previously prepared. Place the beef that has been marinated inside the pan and cover without stirring.
- If you stir the meat right away, it will stick to the pot; instead, let it cook for at least five or ten minutes without stirring.
- After 5 or 10 minutes, the meat should have released some sauce and water; this is the time to stir for the first time.
- Stir it and let it cook for another 5 minutes or 10 minutes
- After 5 or 10 minutes, add the chopped onions and stir again.
- Cook it until the sauce seems to be almost gone and the beef is beginning to slightly stick to the pot's bottom.
- It is now time to pour boiling hot water over the meat, just enough to cover the meat completely.
- Let it cook on low or medium heat (beef normally takes a while to cook; however, it cooks much faster in a pressure cooker).
- In the meantime, wash the prunes and let them soak in boiling water for 20 minutes, until they swell and become plump (please do the same if you are using abricots instead of prunes).
- After 20 minutes, drain the prunes and keep a ladle of cooking water on hand (please do the same if you are using abricots instead of prunes).
- Put the drained prunes, the ladle of cooking water (that one you saved earlier), a tablespoon of vegetable oil, sugar, and cinnamon sticks into another pan (please do the same if you are using abricots instead of prunes).
- Simmer the prunes for fifteen minutes.
- After 15 minutes, remove from the heat and allow the prunes to steep in their own juice.
You can choose to use either sesame for garniching the beef or other dried fruits like almond fillet We use seasme when we cook beef with prunes We use almomd fillet or walnuts when we make beef with abricotsServing in a plate or tagine
- Once the beef is cooked, place the pieces of meat with their sauce in a tagine or on a plate.
- Place the prunes on top and sprinkle with sesame seeds
Do the same if you are using abricots with almonds or walnuts.
Notes
- It is preferable to use a pressure cooker to cook meat because it takes longer to cook.
- Sesame and almonds are optional.
