Tagines- Taste Morocco (even if you can't be there tonight!)

It's always nice to have a meal that can be shared. 

Even if it's just the two of us... There's something to be said for dishing out dinner from a communal bowl or two. As a group, it's easy chitchat. "Can you pass..." or "Grab that for me." The best part, which I think we would all agree is pinching that extra fork-full from your dinner buddy while they're not looking!

Sharing is Caring with a meal like this!

1 onions, medium diced
20g grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
125ml olive oil
1 kg lamb neck, or beef cheek, or chicken thigh (or any other tough cut of meat)
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 pinch saffron
1 pce cinnamon
1 tbsp harissa
5 tbsp ground almond
2 pce preserved lemon
50g sliced dried apricots
50g sliced dates
75g slice prunes

Take a large pot (8L) and sweat onions, garlic & ginger in the olive oil for 3 mins on med heat. Add the spices and harissa, and continue to cook for 2 mins.

Add the meat and the rest of the ingredients, and fill pot with fresh chicken or vegetable stock or water. 

All the goodies going into the Pot!

Bring to the boil, and put a piece of silicone paper on top of the meat, and pop the lid on, and place in the oven at 180˚c for 1 hour, or until the meat is very tender.

While your meat is cooking away, make your cous cous.
Oil up your pan. Wait till your pan is at medium heat before tossing in your Onions and Red peppers. Cook them down till soft.

Place the peppers & onions in a bowl together with the cous cous. Add in Pine Nuts, and some Sultanas for some extra flavours that will go beautifully with your tagine.

Equal Quantities (ie.200grams stock = 200grams Couscous)

Then add your stock. Work on equal quantities of stock to liquid by weight. Cover the dish with cling film, then set it aside. 

Grab a big (or little) bowl. Get your cous cous and meat all happy. Everything comes together in the end! Grab your fork, and distract whoever is sitting next to you. Don't forget to have some of theirs too!