MOROCCAN ROAST DINNER

Mike's winning entry to the ultimate fusion battle. Here you've got two international cuisines (British and Moroccan) resulting in an absolutely to-die-for roast dinner. If you've got family and friends coming round, be sure to knuckle down in the kitchen. It's a challenge of a recipe, but utterly worth it for the results.

MOROCCAN ROAST DINNER

Ingredients

2 brown onions
2 cloves garlic
4 plum tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
850 g blade of beef
2 tbsp ras el hanout
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp paprika
2 tsp ground ginger
1 cinnamon stick
1 l beef stock
1 tsp saffron
1 1/2 kg white potatoes
100 g beef dripping
50 g coarse polenta
10 cloves garlic
200 g large eggs
200 g whole milk
150 g plain flour
2 sprigs thyme
50 g beef dripping
800 g tinned chickpeas
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3 cloves garlic
200 g tahini
100 g horseradish sauce
150 ml water ice cold
2 aubergines
2 courgettes
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp harissa paste

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Method

Preheat the oven to 160°C.
Peel and finely slice the onions. Peel and crush the garlic cloves. Roughly chop the tomatoes.
Put a large saucepan over a high heat and add the oil. Rub the beef all over with the ras el hanout and season with salt and pepper and lower it into the saucepan. Fry for 2-3 minutes per side, until it's a deep, dark golden brown all over. Add the butter to the pan and coat the beef before transferring it to a plate.
Add the onions and garlic to the saucepan and fry for 4-5 minutes, until the onions begin to soften and colour. Add the tomato purée, turmeric, cumin, paprika and ground ginger with the cinnamon stick. Fry for another 1 minute then add the chopped tomatoes and the beef stock.
Return the beef to the pan, add a lid and place it in the oven to cook for 2 hours.
Make the Yorkshire pudding batter by whisking the eggs into the milk and pouring the mix a little at a time into the flour. Add thyme leaves, season well and cover with Cling Film. Leave in the fridge for an hour.
Raise the temperature of the oven to 220°C.
Put a medium saucepan of water over a high heat and add the saffron. Peel and half or quarter the potatoes depending on how big they are, making sure they're all a similar size. Bring the water to a boil and cook for 10 minutes, until the outsides start to go fluffy. Drain through a colander and toss to rough them up a bit.
Grab a bowl and gently toss the potatoes with the beef dripping, salt and pepper. Scatter over the polenta and toss again to get an even coating on all of the potatoes. Tip them onto a roasting tray and drizzle with a little more beef dripping. Smash the garlic cloves and scatter them around the potatoes. Place in the oven for 30-40 minutes, turning after 15 minutes, until golden brown all over.
Divide the beef dripping for the Yorkshire puddings between the indents of a Yorkshire pudding tin (a shallow muffin tin). Place it in the oven to preheat in the oven for 5 minutes. Carefully pour just enough batter into each indent to come about 1cm up the side.
Return the tray to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, without opening the door, until the Yorkshires have risen and are a deep golden brown on top.
Put a large saucepan of water over a high heat and bring it to a boil. Add the drained, soaked chickpeas and the bicarbonate of soda. Simmer for 1 hour, until the chickpeas are very soft.
Peel the garlic and add it to a food processor with the tahini, horseradish and a very generous pinch of salt. Drain the chickpeas and add them to the food processor. Blitz and slowly pour in the water to make a super smooth paste.
Transfer the hummus to bowls, cover and chill.
Preheat a griddle pan over a high heat. Quarter your aubergines and courgettes. Add them to a large mixing bowl and toss them with vegetable oil, salt and pepper. Place the aubergines and courgettes onto the griddle pan and cook for 2 minutes before turning and repeating on all sides, until the flesh is blackened with grill marks.
Transfer the veg to a baking tray and brush it with harissa paste. Place the tray in the oven for 20 minutes to finish cooking and heat through.
When the beef is done, remove it from the oven and carefully remove the meat from the pan and transfer to a plate.
Strain the liquid into a frying pan over a high heat and bring it to a boil. Leave it to bubble away for 10 minutes, until it thickens into a gravy.
Arrange the potatoes, Yorkshire Puddings, Roasted Vegetables and Hummus around the beef on the board. Serve the gravy in a jug and bring it all to the table!

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