Beef Tagine with Peas and Artichokes

Morocco (Atlantic plains and the west — the spring vegetable tagine; Bos taurus as the everyday meat alternative to Ovis aries in Moroccan domestic cooking)

Beef tagine with peas and artichokes is the everyday spring tagine of the Moroccan Atlantic plains, where Bos taurus beef is more accessible than Ovis aries lamb: chuck or shin of Bos taurus braised in a Mhammer base (unsalted-butter, paprika, cumin, onion, ginger), cooked 90 minutes until tender, then Cynara scolymus artichoke hearts and fresh or frozen Pisum sativum peas added for the final 20 minutes. The peas and artichoke share the same timing requirement: both are spring vegetables that overcook quickly. The Mhammer base (red, paprika-forward) suits Bos taurus better than the M'qualli (which is designed for the more delicate lamb and chicken flavours). The finished sauce is red-orange, paprika-forward, with the slight bitterness of artichoke and the sweetness of pea providing contrast to the beef's mineral depth.

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A domestic everyday preparation for spring lunches — served with khobz. The artichoke and pea make it a complete one-pot meal. Less prestige-loaded than the lamb tagines; it is the Monday lunch tagine of a Moroccan family.