Apricot & Pork Tagine

My mum gave us a duplicated Tagine, so we thought we’d have a play with. Very much like the Dutch Oven as a cooking vessel, but it’s set us on another recipe challenge – Moroccan Tagine Recipes…..

Ingredients:-

400g of Diced Pork, diced into good sized pieces
Flour to coat (Gluten free in our case)
1 Onion, sliced
A Thumbnail of fresh Ginger, finely sliced
3 Cloves of Garlic, minced
2 Tbsp of Tomato Puree
1 Tin of Chopped Tomatoes
1 Tin of Chick Peas, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp of Honey
500ml of Chicken Stock
12 Apricots, halved and de-stoned
8 Prunes, halved
2 Tsp of Ras-El-Honout (You can buy this in the Herbs and Spices section in the supermarket, or find a recipe online and make your own blend)
The Juice of 1 Lemon
Oil to fry
Salt & Pepper to season
Fresh Mint leave garnish

Method:-

(1) Season the Pork with Salt and Pepper.
(2) Coat in Flour, shaking any excess off.
(3) Over a medium heat add a little Oil to the Tagine.
(4) Fry the Pork until brown on all sides and set aside.
(5) Add the Onions and fry until softened.
(6) Add the Garlic and Ginger and fry for a further minute.
(7) Stir in the Tomato Puree, Tin of Tomatoes, Stock, Honey and  Ras-El-Honout, bringing to the boil.
(8) Turn down to a simmer and stir in the Pork.
(9) Cover and simmer for an hour.
(10) Add the Apricots, Prunes, Chickpeas and Lemon Juice and stir in.
(11) Simmer for a further 30 minutes.
(12) Serve garnished with the fresh Mint.

The sweetness of the fruits and Honey work really well with the Ras-El-Honout spice blend. We’ll be pottering with other similar recipes over the next few weeks. Watch this space…...