Beef & quince tagine

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a casserole dish, or tagine, over a medium heat, then add the beef and brown for about 5–7 minutes. Transfer the the beef to a plate.
2. Add the onions, garlic and celery to the casserole dish and soften for 5–7 minutes, then add the cayenne pepper, Ras el Hanout, cumin, ginger, allspice, tomato purée, coriander and parsley and cook for 5 more minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper.
3. Return the beef to the casserole dish and add enough water to just cover the mixture. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat, cover and simmer for 2 hours, or until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened.
4. Meanwhile, add the juice of one lemon to a large bowl of cold water. Peel, core and slice each quince into eighths and place immediately in the bowl of cold water to stop the quince from discolouring.
5. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil over medium heat. Add the quince, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the quince are almost cooked. Drain, then stir into the beef tagine during the last 50 minutes of cooking.
6. Serve immediately with couscous.