How to make Moroccan veal tagine with plums
You haven't tried Moroccan cuisine if you haven't had tajine.
Tajine has many variations across North Africa (foodizfeed/Instagram)
Published date: 1 June 2019 12:05 BST
|
Last update: 3 years 10 months ago
Tagine with dried plums is undeniably one of the most famous of Morocco's dishes, usually served at family occasions or special events, such as iftar during Ramadan.
With many variations across North Africa, it strikes a great balance between sweet and savoury. Serve to an eager social gathering with lots of crusty bread.
Recipe
Serves: 4
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
Preparation and cooking time: 2 hours 15 mins
1. Ingredients
For the tagine
- 750g (1.6lbs) veal shank
- 1 chopped onion
- a clove of minced garlic
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- ¼ tsp of saffron pistils
- 1 tsp of pepper
- 1 tsp of grated fresh ginger
- 1 tsp of cinnamon
- 1 tsp of salt
- 1 tsp of turmeric
- 1 small bunch of parsley and coriander
- water to cover (500ml)
For the plum garnish
- 300g (11oz) dried prunes
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
2. Method
The veal
- In a large casserole pot, heat the olive oil to a medium to high heat and brown the veal shank on each side.
- Add the chopped onions and lower the heat to medium.
- Cover with a lid and leave the onions until they are soft and translucent - but not brown - for about 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic, ginger, spices, salt and pepper to the casserole.
- Pour over 500ml of water until covered. Place the coriander bouquet on top of the meat.
- Bring to a boil and cover with the lid. Reduce to a medium-low heat.
- Leave to simmer gently for 2 hours or until the meat is soft and separates easily from the bone.
- Note: Halfway through cooking (about 1 hour in) scoop ½ cup (125ml) of broth from the casserole and set aside.
The prunes
- While the shank is simmering, start on the caramelised prunes.
- Put the prunes in boiling water for 5 minutes to soften, then drain.
- Then, in a small deep skillet, transfer the reserved broth from earlier, the drained prunes, cinnamon and honey. Put on a medium-low heat.
- Leave to simmer for 5 minutes, until the sauce starts to thicken. Set aside until ready to serve.
- To serve, place the veal shank and the onion sauce on a plate.
- Arrange the prunes and the syrup from the prunes on top. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
You can follow Houda on her Instagram @foodizfeed
This article is available in French on Middle East Eye French edition.
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.