Tagine-Style Beef and Rice

Bright Colors, Exotic Scents Bring Ground Beef a Moroccan Flavor

© Thomas Alan Gray

Feb 22, 2009

A tagine or tajine (pronounced ta-jean) is a round earthenware pot with a conical lid, used in north Africa for slow-cooking stews of meat and fruit. It is also the name given to any dish cooked in such a manner. In Morocco, the meat would most likely be lamb, while a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, and spices can be added for an almost infinite variety of tastes.

The toned-down beef tagine recipe offered here, with its combination of lean ground beef, peppers, fruit, and fresh mint - a fun way to dress up hamburger! - brings a different taste North American palates and is quite easy to make. The fruit and peppers give it a summery zest, but it can be enjoyed at any time of year.

A good one-pot meal with a little extra: the low fat and low sodium content earns it a Health Check from the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada.

Timing:

• Preparation and Assembly - about 15 minutes
• Cooking - about 40-45 minutes

Ingredients for the Tagine:

• 2 tsp (10 mL) vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb (500 g) lean ground beef (Note 1)
• 3/4 tsp (4 mL) EACH ground allspice and cinnamon
• 1 cup (250 mL) brown rice (Note 2)
• 2 cups (500 mL) sodium-reduced chicken broth
• 1 EACH sweet red and yellow pepper, diced
• 1 cup (250 mL) dried fruit (Note 3)
• 3 tbsp (45 mL) minced fresh mint (Note 4)
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) lemon juice
• 6 tsp (30 mL) raw sunflower seeds

Directions for this Beef Recipe:

1. Heat oil over medium heat in large heavy saucepan or Dutch oven. Add onion and garlic. Cook until aromatic, about 1 minute.
2. Add beef and cook, breaking up with wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Drain if desired.
3. Stir in allspice, cinnamon, rice, and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 40-45 minutes. (Note 5)
4. Remove from heat. Stir in peppers, fruit, mint, and lemon juice.
5. Garnish each serving with about 1 tsp (5 mL) of sunflower seeds and a few sprigs of mint.

Cook's Notes for the Beef Tagine:

1. Use lean or extra-lean ground beef - ground sirloin, ground round, or ground chuck.
2. Cut cooking time in half by using long grain rice instead of brown rice
3. Diced apricots, currants, cranberries, craisins etc.
4. Save a few top sprigs of the mint as a garnish to put on before serving
5. If the stock isn't all absorbed after the cooking time, remove the lid for five or ten minutes to allow the fluid to boil away. But keep an eye on it to be sure it doesn't get too dry, and add a little water if necessary.

Nutritional Information:

Per serving - 400 Calories, 24 g protein, 14 g fat, 47 g carbohydrate. Iron - 27% DV; Zinc - 54% DV; Sodium - 11% DV; Vitamin C - 105% DV.

For a spicier tagine, Barbara Bell offers a more authentic recipe using a Moroccan spice blend called Ras El Hanout. The simplified beef tagine given here was adapted from a recipe provided by The Beef Information Centre, used with permission.

Beef and Rice Tagine with Fresh Mint and Sunflower

Print Article

View All Articles

How to subscribe to feeds