Beef Cheek and Prune Tagine
Meaty beef cheeks have a deep, rich flavour and are perfect for slow winter braises where they become meltingly tender. This recipe is made for a large group, but it is easily adapted to make just half the quantity.
Ingredients
4 Pure South beef cheeks (2 pks)
Oil for browning the beef
2 onions, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 Tbsp ras el hanout
1 tsp salt
1x can cherry tomatoes
500ml Farro beef stock
½ cup prunes
800g root vegetables, such as celeriac, carrots, or parsnip, peeled and cut into 2-3cm pieces
To serve:
1-2 Tbsp harissa
½ cup thick, Greek-style yoghurt
Chopped coriander leaves
Method
If necessary, trim any excess silver skin from the beef and slice the cheeks into 4cm pieces. Heat the oil in a pan and brown the beef in batches. Remove the beef and add the onions and garlic and cook until softened. Add the ras el hanout and salt and fry for a few minutes, then add the tinned cherry tomatoes and beef stock and bring to a simmer
Simmer, covered, for one hour, then add the prunes and vegetables and cook for another 1-1½ hours or until the meat is very tender
To serve: Combine the harissa and Greek yoghurt in a small bowl. Sprinkle the coriander over the tagine and serve, if you wish, with couscous or rice and the harissa yoghurt alongside
In a Slow Cooker: Preheat the slow cooker for 20 minutes. Prepare the dish as above, but with just 250ml of beef stock, adding the vegetables and prunes to the slow cooker at the beginning of cooking. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours