Slow gentle cooking with this beef tagine will produce a rich dark flavoursome gravy . It is a good tagine to begin family members on, not too spicy or too hot, though if you want extra heat, add a spoonful of harissa just before serving.

Ingredients

• 1 kg New Zealand Quality Mark lean cross-cut beef blade or chuck steak
• 2 tblsp oil
• 2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled, finely chopped
• 1 kg tomatoes, blanched and peeled
• ¼ cup liquid honey
• 340 gram packet pitted prunes
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ¼-½ tsp saffron threads
• 500 grams pumpkin, peeled and cut into 3cm dice
• ½ cinnamon stick

To Garnish

• about 1 cup or 100 grams walnuts, toasted
• chopped fresh parsley

Method

1. Cut the beef into 3cm pieces. Heat the oil in a heavy metal heat-proof casserole and brown the meat on all sides. Do this in batches, keeping heat high. Remove meat as it browns. When all is done, return beef to the casserole.
2. Add the onions, garlic, tomatoes, honey, prunes, ginger, saffron and cinnamon stick and bring to the boil.
3. Cover, transfer to a 180°C oven for 30 minutes. Add the pumpkin and continue to cook for a further 45-60 minutes until the meat is lovely and tender.
4. Serve over couscous, garnished with chopped fresh walnuts and chopped parsley.

Cooks Tips

Beef cuts for stewing: Chuck steak, blade steak, topside steak, silverside steak, shin steak, flank steak, thick skirt steak Ox kidney, ox tail, ox heart, ox liver, ox heart, ox liver Gravy beef, tripe, minced beef