Beef Tagine with Quince Paste

This recipe, is not so much converted from Maggie Beer's recipe, Beef Tagine with Spiced Pear Paste, but inspired by it. I made the Ras- el- hanout, and the Quince Paste, so it is quite different from the original recipe, and of course I adapted it to the Thermomix. If you wish to make this Tagine but have no Quince paste, you could substitute Apricot or another stone fruit jam. Probably 1 Tablespoon full.

1 and 1/2 kg. Blade steak, cut into 2/3 cm. cubes
1 rounded Tablespoon of Ras-el-hanout
1 large brown onion, peeled and 1/4ed.
3/4 cloves of garlic, peeled
4 threads of Saffron, (optional)
EVO and 200mls, beef stock.
24 dried apricots
18 large prunes, pitted
1/4 cup of Verjuice, or white wine
100 g. Quince Paste, cut into 1 cm. cubes
1/2 cup of roasted almonds
Parsley to garnish




In a bowl mix the cubed steak with the Ras-el-hanout and let stand for 1 hour.
Put the Apricots, Prunes and Verjuice in a bowl which will fit the varoma.
Drop the onion and garlic on to the moving blades of the TMX, speed 5, until chopped.
Add 20mls. EVO and scrape down sides, and then cook for 5 mins. at 100 speed 1.
Add beef and beef stock and Quince paste.
Cook 40 mins.,at 100, on REVERSE and soft speed.
Place Varoma on top with dish containing Apricots ,Prunes and Verjuice and stir occasionally to help the fruit absorb the liquid.
After 40 mins. test the meat for tenderness. It should NOT be falling to pieces.
(Mine usually takes 45 mins)
When cooked, add the contents of the Varoma dish and continue to cook for 1 min, 100, speed soft reverse.

This can be served immediately, left in the Thermoserver, or kept until the next day and reheated in the oven or Microwave.

Serve with almonds, parsley , rice, and green salad or cooked vegies.
If eating straight away , vegies can be cooked around the dish in the Varoma.