Beef Tagine with Couscous

Ingredients:

    600g Stewing Beef
    2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
    1 Onion, peeled and finely chopped
    a small bunch of fresh Coriander
    400g Chickpeas, soaked overnight and boiled until soft (or use 1 x 400g tin of chickpeas)
    400g Tomatoes, chopped
    800ml Vegetable Stock
    1 small Pumpkin (about 800g), deseeded and cut into 5cm chunks
    100g Prunes, stoned and roughly torn (I used Dried Apricots)
    2 tablespoons slivered Almonds – toasted

Spice Rub:
    Sea Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
    1 level tablespoon Ras El Hanout Spice mix (see Notes section below)
    1 level tablespoon ground Cumin
    1 level tablespoon ground Cinnamon
    1 level tablespoon ground Ginger
    1 level tablespoon Sweet Paprika

Couscous:
    3 cups of Couscous
    3 cups of Water
    2 tablespoon of Olive Oil



Directions:

1. Mix all the spice rub ingredients and beef in a bowl and give it a good massage. Cover and chill in the fridge for a few hours, ideally overnight.
2. To start cooking, heat olive oil in a tagine or casserole and saute the meat on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add onion and coriander stalks and fry for another 5 minutes.
3. Add in the chickpeas and tomatoes, then pour in 400ml of stock. Bring to boil, and reduce to a simmer for 1 hour.
4. After 1 hour, add your squash, the prunes and the rest of the stock. Gently stir and let it simmer for another 1 hour. Keep a lookout on it and add some water if it looks too dry.
5. Once the time is up, check the consistency. If it seems watery, simmer for another 5 to 10 minutes. Season with a pinch or two of salt.
6. Garnish with with coriander leaves and toasted almonds, and serve with couscous.

Couscous:

1. Place couscous in a large bowl. Pour the boiling water and cover with a lid for 10 to 15 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed.
2. Fluff gently with a fork and add in olive oil.
3. Put the bowl into a steamer to steam for 10 minutes.