Moroccan Tagine

The chilly weather in Melbourne continues, with blasts of icy cold winds and sunny but warmthless skies.

It is truly soup and stew weather, so I was pleased when the latest newsletter from my physiotherapist linked to both a soup and a stew recipe. Naturally, I made them both.

The  stew recipe is a Moroccan Tagine from Taste.com.au. It is full of flavour and suitably hearty for cold nights.

To make it, you will need:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 750g gravy beef, trimmed, cut into 3cm cubes
• 1 large brown onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 medium carrots, peeled, halved, sliced
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Moroccan seasoning
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 cups Massel beef stock
• 400g can diced tomatoes
• 400g can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
• Brown rice, to serve
• Cooked green beans, to serve
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Preheat your oven to 180°C.

Heat half the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish. Brown the beef in batches, then transfer to a plate.  

Heat the remaining oil in the casserole dish. Add the onion, garlic, carrot and celery. Cook, stirring, until onion has softened. Return the beef to the dish. Add the  flour and seasoning, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the bay leaves and cinnamon.

Stir in the stock and tomatoes. Bring the mixture to the boil. TCover the casserole dish and transfer to the preheated oven. Bake for 1 and a half hours.

Remove the stew from the oven and stir in the chickpeas. Return the stew to the oven and bake for a further 30 minutes or until the beef is tender. Take the stew out of the oven and discard the cinnamon and bay leaves.

Serve with rice and beans.