We had spent the day down t’allotment, we were tired, hangry and it was getting late so I needed something quick and easy for dinner. I remembered the small bag of diced pork lurking in the kitchen freezer; yes, I have more than one freezer and the one in the kitchen is where we keep day to day stuff; so I rooted it out, set the microwave to defrost and bunged it in. It wasn’t enough to feed two of us as it stood so I decided to make a tagine where I could add other tasty and filling ingredients to give it a boost. After a quick sauté followed by 10 minutes of pressure cooking we had a nice tasty meal ready in the time it took Paul to put away the gardening tools. If making this on the stovetop the cooking times should be increased to allow the meat to stew until tender. I must say it turned out really well considering I was making it up as I went along. And just to make my head swell, Paul said it was the best tagine I’ve made yet!
I have put tinned chickpeas in the recipe but since my sister has shown me how easy it is I now bulk buy dried chickpeas; along with a variety of other dried beans; which I batch prepare in the pressure cooker and pop in the freezer. Much cheaper than tins and I can use the right amount for us rather than having to make double or waste half a tin each time.
For perfect fluffy couscous I use a 1:1 ratio of couscous to boiling water. this means I can increase or decrease the amount but still get the same quality and texture. Once the water has been absorbed I often chuck in a knob of butter. You can also add herbs and spices at this point if you want to jazz it up a little.
Ingredients
- 200g diced pork
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 tin chickpeas
- 2 tbs olive oil
- Handful of dried apricots, halved
- Handful of sultanas
- 1 tsp ras-al-hanout
- 250 mls chicken stock (OXO)
- 1 cup couscous
- 1 cup boiling water
Method
Pressure Cooker
- Set the pot to SEAR/SAUTÉ and heat the oil.
- Add the pork and cook until brown then remove and set aside.
- Add the onions and sauté until translucent.
- Return the pork to the pot and continue to sauté.
- Add the ras al hanout stirring well to combine with the pork and onions.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and stock to deglaze the pot and bring to a simmer.
- Turn off SEAR/SAUTÉ, close the lid and set to PRESSURE.
- Cook on HI for 10 minutes then Quick Release.
- Set to SEAR/SAUTÉ, add the apricots, sultanas and chickpeas and cook until warmed through.
- Whilst the final ingredients are warming through prepare the couscous. Add 1 cup of couscous to a bowl and add 1 cup boiling water. Cover and leave to absorb the water for 10 minutes then fluff up with a fork.
Stove Top
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan and follow the recipe from 2-6.
- Allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until the pork is tender and thoroughly cooked.
- Add the chickpeas, apricots and sultanas and continue to simmer until they are warmed through.
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