Ingredients

• 750g/1lb 10oz braising steak (ideally chuck steak)
• 4 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 onions
• halved and sliced
• 2 garlic cloves
• finely chopped
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp hot chilli powder
• 400g/14oz can chopped tomatoes
• 400g/14oz can chickpeas
• drained and rinsed
• 3 tbsp clear honey
• 1 beef stock cube
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 medium sweet potato (around 400g/14oz)
• 2 large eating apples
• 25g/1oz bunch fresh coriander
• 75g/2½oz no-soak dried prunes
• halved
• flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large red-skinned eating apple
• 15g/½oz butter
• 1 tbsp clear honey

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Trim the beef of any hard fat and cut into roughly 3cm/1¼in chunks. Season all over with salt and pepper. Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and fry the beef in three batches over a high heat until lightly browned on all sides
• adding a little more oil to the pan when needed. Transfer each batch to a large flameproof casserole once browned.
• Reduce the heat and add two tablespoons more oil to the frying pan. Fry the onions for five minutes
• or until softened and lightly coloured
• stirring regularly. Add the garlic and sprinkle with the cumin
• coriander and chilli powder. Cook for 1-2 minutes more
• stirring constantly.
• Tip the onions and spices into the casserole with the beef. Stir 150ml/5fl oz cold water into the frying pan and stir vigorously to lift the sediment from the bottom. Pour into the casserole.
• Add 350ml/12fl oz more water
• the tomatoes and chickpeas to the casserole and stir in the honey. Crumble the stock cube over the top
• add the cinnamon stick and stir well. Bring to a simmer on the hob
• stirring a couple of times. Cover the dish with a lid
• transfer to the oven and cook for 1½ hours.
• Ten minutes before the time is up
• peel the sweet potato and cut into roughly 2.5cm/1in chunks. Peel the apples
• cut into quarters and remove the cores. Cut the apples into 2cm/¾in chunks. Trim the coriander and roughly chop half of the leaves.
• Carefully take the casserole out of the oven and remove the lid. Stir in the sweet potato
• apples
• prunes and chopped coriander. Cover once more and return to the oven. Cook for a further 45-60 minutes
• or until the beef is very tender. Roughly chop the remaining coriander leaves just before serving.
• To make the garnish
• cut the apple into quarters and remove the core. Slice each apple quarter lengthways into five. Season with ground black pepper. Melt the butter in a large non-stick frying pan and fry the apple slices over a high heat for 3-4 minutes
• or until lightly browned
• turning occasionally. Remove from the heat
• drizzle with the honey and toss lightly.
• Scatter the fried apples over the tagine in the casserole
• scatter with roughly chopped coriander and serve.