Moroccan Beef Tagine with Butternut Squash

A tagine is a North African dish, traditionally cooked in a heavy clay pot. Tagines are slow cooked, resulting in tender meat and flavoursome vegetables.

This recipe is one of my favourites, the 2 hour cooking time results in beautifully tender beef that melts in the mouth, and the butternut squash tastes so much better stewed with carrots in cumin, ginger and cinnamon than it does when roasted. This recipe serves 5.

Time to prepare: 30 minutes
Time to cook: 1.5 - 2 hours

Step 1 Ingredients and equipment

For this recipe you will need:

An oven proof pot with heavy, tight fitting lid
An oven, preheated to 150 celcius

• 1kg braising beef
• 1 large butternut squash
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 medium onions
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2-3 carrots
• 2 level teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 level teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 level teaspoons ginger
• 2 tea spoons honey
• 2 beef stock cubes
• ~450ml water
• 1 tablespoon corn flour

couscous or rice to serve (~75g per person)

To save some money reduce the beef by 200-400g and add an extra 2-3 carrots.

Comments

[jessyratfink]

This looks so good. Since it's a good time for squash, I might need to try this. :)

[Jayefuu]

Thanks, it's my favourite dish to cook :) If you can get butternut it's best, though I've done it with pumpkin and other squashes before, you could also use sweet potato. The sweeter the squash the better really.

If you make it, can you take me a good picture for the title? Mine's a bit rubbish.

[jessyratfink]

Totally making this tonight, about to start. Will try to get a fancy photo in the morning, maybe? :D

[Jayefuu]

Excellent. Did you get any?

[jessyratfink]

I failed to get any photos because it was gone so quick. And then I forgot to reply to this. FAILURE ALL AROUND :P

But I will definitely be making it again, it was soooooo good. Tyler and I finished it off in only a couple days.

[lemonie]

Looks very good, even though I ate I am hungry. L

[Jayefuu]

Shame you're not closer. I had to throw a load in the freezer because one of my housemates were out. (It freezes well, he can eat it another time)

[lemonie]

Yea, you're quite some distance. I went to Croyden twice.... L

[Jayefuu]

Hmmm. Not the nicest part of Surrey. Think I prefer Guildford.

[lemonie]

Well that relative is dead now, so I don't expect to be going back... L