When I asked a Moroccan friend for her favourite recipes from home, this is one that she sent me. In fact, she sent me quite a few so I have been trying them over time. I particularly liked the flavours of this recipe for beef pea tagine, and the different toppings make it very presentable. Most of the ingredients are easy to find. However, the preserved lemons and purple olives take a little searching, at least in London.
If you don’t have a tagine just use a large pot or casserole with a lid. I used to have a tagine, but have lost it during my moves. Although, the flavour is probably slightly different, it is still very tasty!
Ingredients
Meat base
300 grams (11 oz.) beef fillet, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ of onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 Tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
Salt and pepper, to taste
Toppings
100 grams (2/3 cup) shelled green peas
½ preserved lemon (no pulp, rind only), rinsed and thinly sliced
2 green chilies
2 tomatoes sliced in half
6 purple or black olives
Instructions
First, in a tagine plate, combine the meat chunks, vegetable oil, olive oil, chopped onion, crushed garlic, chopped parsley and cilantro, and spices. Mix well.Cover and brown the meat, on medium heat, for around 10 minutes.
Next, add about 200ml of boiling water and the green peas to the meat. Arrange the chilies and tomatoes on the top. Cover the tagine and cook for another 15 minutes or until the meat is cooked. Check on the tagine from time to time and add water if necessary. There should always be enough liquid so the meat does not dry out.
Once the meat is done, top with preserved lemon rind and olives. Cover and cook for another 10 minutes. Serve immediately with crusty bread.
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