Neven Maguire: spice up your life with tagine

I am just back from a trip to Frankfurt in Germany, where I attended Ambiente – the largest exhibition of cookware and tableware in the world. It takes place every two years and features a whopping 4,000 exhibitors. I have to say, being there I felt like a child in a sweet shop.

This year, I attended the exhibition with Teresa Raftery and Michelle King from the Dunnes Stores homeware team. They both have a great eye for detail.

I’m always looking for new pieces for the restaurant, as well as ideas for my ‘Cook with Neven’ range. I don’t think there is a better place to learn about new cookware trends and see innovative products.

Some of you might know that I have a weakness for tableware – and for buying plates, in particular. We have a room in MacNean House where all of our plates are stored and last year it was bursting at the seams. It nearly broke my heart, but we decided to do a big clear-out and we sold a large portion of the collection.

In the end, I was delighted to see that we were able to raise over €9,000 for our local St Vincent de Paul and now, I am having a wonderful time replacing them.

I think having a well-set table, with beautiful tableware, is such an important part of enjoying a nice meal out in a restaurant. It’s all part of the hospitality we like to provide our guests.

That said, I may have done a bit of damage to the old credit card during my two very enjoyable days in Frankfurt.

On to this week’s recipes: I have been making different variations of this beef tagine for years, and I sometimes like using the same method with lamb.

Irish Angus beef is ideal for this recipe – it has a bit of fat which keeps the meat moist and full of flavour. I find this dish is a crowd-pleaser because while it is not overly spicy, it is beautifully aromatic. Marinating the meat overnight is the key to infusing it with all those vibrant flavours – this recipe is well worth the extra effort.

At the cookery school, we often make this with lamb shoulder which also has a bit of fat and is ideal for slow cooking methods like braising or cooking in a tagine-style. It is always a hit with our guests.

Don’t be afraid of the dates in the recipe – they add the perfect hint of sweetness which works so well with the meat. When it comes to dates, Medjool are king. They are large and sweet and as nice for snacking as they are for cooking with.

They are also ideal in a sticky toffee pudding. We use Greek yogurt, which Lucia also loves for her breakfast with some berries.

The second recipe of the week pairs perfectly with the first. This is my favourite way to serve couscous. When you cook couscous without any added flavour, it can be quite bland. All of the herbs in my green couscous recipe pack it with flavour and then the chilli adds the perfect kick.

I have never been to Morocco – the land of the tagine – but it is definitely on my bucket list. I would love to try Moroccan food in the local restaurants.

You could use the ingredients and method, but instead of couscous, swop for potatoes or rice. But the couscous is more of an authentic ingredient to serve with a tagine. Plus, it is really good at soaking up sauces, and there is plenty of sauce and flavour in this particular tagine recipe.

One tip: make sure you fold in the rocket at the very last minute before serving, otherwise the leaves will bruise. Then scatter the caramelised onions and toasted pistachios on top. I promise you, you’ll never look at couscous the same way again.

Ingredients: Serves 6-8

2 tbsp hot paprika

1 tbsp each ground coriander and turmeric

2 tsp each ground cinnamon and cumin

1.5kg Irish Angus casserole beef pieces

4 garlic cloves, chopped

2.5cm piece root ginger, peeled and chopped

3 onions, roughly chopped

4 tbsp olive oil

400g tin chopped tomatoes

500ml beef stock (fresh or from a cube)

2 tbsp raw Irish honey

225g Medjool dates, halved and stoned

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fresh coriander leaves, toasted almonds, pomegranate seeds and authentic Greek yogurt (optional), to garnish

Method

1 In a large bowl, mix the paprika, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, cumin and two teaspoons of pepper, then tip half into a small bowl and set aside. Add the beef to the large bowl and coat in the spices. Cover with cling film and chill overnight or for up to two days.

2 Preheat the oven to 170°C. Place the garlic, ginger and onions into a food processor, and pulse until finely minced.

3 Heat a large heavy-based casserole, add half of the oil and brown the marinated beef in batches. Pour the remaining oil into the pan, add the onion mixture and cook for a few minutes until softened but not coloured. Stir in the reserved spice mixture and cook for another minute or so until well combined.

4 Blitz the tomatoes in the food processor until smooth. Pour them into the pan with the stock, then add the browned beef with the honey, stirring to combine. Bring to the boil, cover and transfer to the oven.

5 Cook for two hours, stirring in the dates halfway through, until the beef is completely tender and the sauce has thickened and reduced. Season to taste.

6 Garnish the tagine with a dollop of yogurt and scatter over the coriander and almonds. Finish with the pomegranate seeds to serve.

Ingredients: Serves 4

120ml extra virgin olive oil

2 large onions, thinly sliced

½ tsp ground cumin

300g couscous

100g shelled pistachios

50g fresh soft herbs (such as flat leaf

parsley, coriander and mint)

1 bunch scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 long green chilli, seeded and finely chopped

100g rocket

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1 Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 25–30 minutes until it’s caramelised and lightly golden. Remove from the heat, add the cumin and season generously with salt. Tip into a bowl and set aside until needed.

2 Put the couscous in a large bowl and pour over 300ml of boiling water. Cover with cling film and set aside for 10 minutes.

3 Wipe out the frying pan and put back on a medium heat, then toast the pistachios. Tip on to a chopping board to cool down and roughly chop.

4 Pick all the leaves off the herbs and put into a mini blender. Season with salt and pepper and add the rest of the oil. Blitz to a smooth paste, then stir in the scallions and chilli.

5 Uncover the couscous and gently fluff up with a fork. Fold in the herb mixture and then gently fold in the rocket. Tip on to a platter and scatter over the caramelised onions and the pistachios to serve.

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