Beef & Olive Tagine
A Tagine is very similar to the English style Casserole, it's a slightly soupy dish usually cooked with a type of meat and a selection of seasonal vegetables, there are soooo many variations of Tagine, on this occasion we will be using lean Beef, Potato and Green Olives, also known as Lahem Bil Badada wa Zaytoon and you're sure to be licking your fingers by the end of it.
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 Large onion either thinly sliced or chopped
- 1 Handful chopped parsley or coriander
- 2 tsp Salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp Ground black pepper
- 1 green cayenne chilli pepper optional
- 1 tsp Ground ginger powder
- 1 tsp Tumeric
- 1 pinch Saffron threads optional
- 3 cloves Garlic grated or crushed
- 1/3 cup Olive Oil extra virgin is prefered
- 1/2 kilo Lean Halal Beef washed & diced into chunky cubes
- 700 grams Potatoes peeled, washed & sliced into wedges
- 1 Large handful of green or red olives
- 1/2 Preserved lemon quartered long ways
- 3 cups Water
Instructions
- Mix the meat with chopped onion, garlic, chopped parsley, spices, and olive oil.
- Brown the meat & spice mix over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, the pot doesn't need to be covered at this point
- Add 3 cups of water and cover the pressure cooker. Cook the meat under pressure for about 40 minutes starting the timer from when it whistles and heat is reduced.
- When the time is up you can put the pressure cooker under a cold tap to hasten the cooling process, this allows you to release the whistle and open the lid sooner. ALWAYS WAIT UNTILL ALL AIR IS RELEASED before attempting to open.
- Check that the meat is tender and if so you can then add the potatoes, olives, and preserved lemon.
- If necessary, add more water so that the gravy ALMOST reaches the top of the potatoes then partially cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked and the sauce is reduced & thickened.
- Taste for salt and adjust the seasoning if necessary before completely done. you can then serve the stew into a pretty tagine or traditional Moroccan plate if you have one. When serving, serve the meat pieces first around the plate, followed by the potatoes on top, then add the olives & gravy evenly around the plate before garnishing with the preserved lemon on the top centre.