Slow cooked beef tagine recipe

Serves 4 | 10mins to prepare and 2hrs 30mins to cook | 723 calories / serving

Ingredients

1.3kg (2 1/2lb) beef topside, cut into chunks
1tbsp plain flour
15ml (1tbsp) sunflower oil
2 onions, sliced
2 peppers, sliced
2tbsp harissa paste
1 beef stock cube
800g chopped tomatoes
400g (13oz) chickpeas, drained
handful dried apricots, halved
250g (8oz) couscous

Fragrant slow cooked beef in a Moroccan spice mix with chickpeas, dried apricot and tomatoes served with fluffy couscous. Use the leftover beef to make a butterbean pie, Moroccan flatbread or a mushroom and pearl barley soup.

Heat the oven to gas 4, 180°C, fan 160°C. Dust the beef in the flour and some seasoning. Heat the half oil in an ovenproof casserole dish with a lid and brown the beef in batches removing to a plate once browned. Add the rest of the oil and the onions and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until softened. Add the peppers and harissa paste cook for 1 minute more.

Crumble in the beef stock cube, tip in the tomatoes, half a can of water, chickpeas and apricots. Return the beef, bring up to a simmer and put the lid on top. Cook in the oven for 1 1/2-2 hours, until the beef is really tender. Check the meat with two forks, it should pull apart easily. If not return for another 20 minutes and check again.

Make the couscous, put into a bowl with some seasoning, cover with 250ml (8fl oz) of boiling water and cover with cling film, leave to absorb for 5 minutes then fluff up with a fork. Serve with the beef tagine, saving about 150g (5oz) for your leftover recipe.

From Tesco Realfood