We had bought a cow and had literally about 100 pounds of beef in the freezer. That means about 30 pounds of roasts, and that is a lot of roast. I was getting tired of eating roasts in the Crock Pot and was trying to think of something else to do with it. Then – viola! I decided to adapt a recipe from the “meals made easy” cookbook (for lamb tagine with couscous).

A tagine is a traditional North African dish (particularly Moroccan or Tunisian), named after the special earthenware it is served in. For the spice of the dish, think salt, cinnamon, cayenne, cumin, ginger and cloves – also know as delicious

Note, with this recipe you’ll need to marinate your meat the night before, but that actual cooking time is less than an hour.

For this recipe you’ll need:

2 pounds of grass-fed beef (bottom round roast) or lamb (leg or loin), cut into 1 1/2″ pieces
3 t. paprika
1/2 t. tumeric
1 t. cumin
1/2 t. cayenne
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1 1/2 t. salt
2 T. coconut oil
2 T. olive oil
1 yellow onion, thickly sliced
4 carrots, peeled into thin strips (I use a mandolin for this, but a peeler also works well)
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 T. fresh ginger
zest of 1 lemon
2 c. chicken broth
1 medium cauliflower head, finely grated
1/4 c. fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1/4 c. fresh parsley, roughly chopped
1/4 c. pitted and halved kalamata olives

The night before, combine olive oil and dry seasoning in a gallon plastic bag (for your marinade). If you’re using the beef roast, it needs to be tenderized. This is not a slow cooking recipe and grass-fed roasts are not tender unless cooked for a looooong time. Grab a meat mallet/tenderizer and have fun. The pieces of beef should be flattened a bit but not pummeled to pieces. Place the tenderized meat in the bag with the marinade – close the bag and mix, ensuring that all of the pieces are nicely coated. Put in the refrigerator overnight.

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the coconut oil, onions and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. You want the onions to have some transparency and be slightly browned. Transfer to a plate.

Now add the beef to the saucepan. Be careful not to crowd the pieces. Brown each side and transfer to a plate.

Repeat until this has been done for all of the beef.

Once all the meat has been browned, add all of the beef, carrots and onions back to the saucepan. Add the garlic, ginger and lemon zest – stir and coat.

Add 1 1/2 c. of chicken broth to the saucepan and set the cooking temperature to medium -low. You’re going to cook down the broth until there’s a little less than 1/4″ of liquid left in the bottom. It should be thickened as well.

Now, add the cauliflower that you’ve grated.

Coat the cauliflower with the sauce and mix with the meat and vegetables. Add another 1/2 c. of chicken broth. Place a cover on the saucepan and cook on low heat for approximately 20-25 minutes.

Most of the liquid should be gone (soaked up by the meat and cauliflower).

Plate and garnish with cilantro, parsley and olives.

Shahia tayebah!

- Nicole