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. 

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Roasted Beef Brisket

Ingredients:

    2 tablespoons chili powder
    2 tablespoons salt
    1 tablespoon garlic powder
    1 tablespoon onion powder
    1 tablespoon ground black pepper
    1 tablespoon sugar
    2 teaspoons dry mustard
    1 bay leaf, crushed
    4 pounds beef brisket, trimmed
    1 1/2 cups beef stock


Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Make a dry rub by combining chili powder, salt, garlic and onion powders, black pepper, sugar, dry mustard, and bay leaf. Season the raw brisket on both sides with the rub. Place in a roasting pan and roast, uncovered, for 1 hour.
3. Add beef stock and enough water to yield about 1/2 inch of liquid in the roasting pan. Lower oven to 300 degrees F, cover pan tightly and continue cooking for 3 hours, or until fork-tender.
4. Trim the fat and slice meat thinly across the grain. Top with juice from the pan.

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