Beef Tagine

600g stewing beef

1 onion, pelled and finely chopped

small bunch of fresh coriander

1x 400g tin of chickpeas, drained

1x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

600ml vegetable stock

1 small squash (approximately 800g), deseeded and cut into 5cm chunks

100g prunes, stoned and roughly torn

2 ts. flaked almonds, toasted

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 level tablespoon ras el hanout spice mix

1 level tablespoon ground cumin

1 level tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 level tablespoon ground ginger

1 level tablespoon sweet paprika

Mix all the spice rub ingredients together in a small bowl with a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper.

Put the beef into a large bowl, massage it with the spice rub, then cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge for a couple of hours, preferably overnight.

When you’re ready to cook, peel and finely chop the onion, and pick the coriander leaves, finely chopping the stalks.

Heat a generous lug of oil in a tagine or casserole pan over a medium heat, add the meat and fry for 5 minutes to seal. Add the onion and coriander stalks and fry for a further 5 minutes.

Drain and tip in the chickpeas, followed by the tomatoes, breaking them up with a spoon, then pour in 400ml of stock and stir well. Bring to the boil, then cover and reduce to a low heat for 1½ hours.

Meanwhile, deseed and chop the squash into 5cm chunks, then destone and roughly tear the prunes. Toast the almonds in a dry frying pan until lightly golden, then tip into a bowl.

When the time’s up, add the squash, prunes and remaining stock. Give everything a gentle stir, then pop the lid back on and continue cooking for another 1½ hours. Keep an eye on it, adding splashes of water, if needed.

At this stage, remove the lid and check the consistency. If it seems a bit too runny, simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, more with the lid off – the beef should be really tender and flaking apart now, so have a taste and season to taste.

Scatter the coriander leaves over the tagine along with the toasted almonds. Serve with a big bowl of lightly seasoned couscous and dive in.