Beef and butternut squash tagine with charmoula and buttered couscous

Moroccan stews, or tagines as they are better known, are not meant to be thick and rich like our British stews, but rather a little more light and soupy. So don’t allow the liquid to reduce back too far during cooking.

Serves 4-6

 

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 kg diced braising steak

2 onions, halved and thinly sliced

6 plum tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped

1 x 7.5cm piece of cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 tablespoons clear honey

1 small preserved lemon, finely chopped OR 2 pared strips lemon zest

750ml beef stock

450g prepared butternut squash (i.e. halved, deseeded and peeled), cut into small chunks

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

For the charmoula:

3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons harissa paste or 1 teaspoon minced red chilli from a jar (sambal oelek)

A good pinch of saffron strands

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 small handful of coriander leaves

1 small handful of mint leaves

4 tablespoons olive oil

 

For the buttered couscous:

450g couscous

450ml boiling water

1/2 teaspoon salt

25g butter

 

1. First make the charmoula by putting all the ingredients into a food processor with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and blending to a smooth paste. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large, flameproof casserole. Fry the steak in 2 batches until lightly browned all over, then lift onto a plate. Add the remaining oil and onions to the pan and fry over a medium heat until soft and nicely browned.
3. Add the tomatoes, cinnamon, ginger, honey and 2 tablespoons of the charmoula and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Return the beef to the casserole and add the preserved lemon or strips of lemon zest, the stock, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper. Part-cover and leave to simmer gently for 11/2 hours.
4. Now gently stir in the prepared butternut squash and simmer, uncovered for another 15-20 minutes until the squash is tender and the sauce has reduced a little more.
5. Meanwhile, put the couscous and salt into a large bowl and stir in the boiling water. Cover with a tea towel and leave to soak for 5 minutes. Then uncover and fluff up into separate grains with a fork. Melt the butter in a large pan, add the couscous and stir over a low heat for a couple of minutes until heated through.
6. When both the beef and butternut squash are tender, stir in the remaining charmoula and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve with the buttered couscous.

Recipe by Debbie Major