Braised Beef Shoulder with Harissa and Almond Couscous

A tender braised beef shoulder in a spicy harissa tomato sauce, served with fragrant couscous with toasted almonds and lemon. The roast can be prepared a day ahead and gently reheated before serving to guests.

By yumbelo · 6 servings · 210 minutes

Ingredients

• 1500 g Beef shoulder, in one piece
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 3 tbsp Olive oil
• 3 pc Onions
• 4 pc Garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp Tomato paste
• 2 tbsp Harissa paste
• 2 can Canned tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tbsp Honey
• 1 pc Cinnamon stick
• 2 pc Bay leaves
• 850 ml Water
• 300 g Couscous
• 60 g Flaked almonds
• 1 pc Organic lemon
• 1 bunch Parsley

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160 °C conventional heat. Season the beef shoulder all over with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large, ovenproof pot and sear the meat in batches on all sides until well browned. Remove.
3. Dice the onions and sweat them in the drippings until golden brown. Finely chop the garlic, briefly fry it along with the onions, then stir in the tomato paste and harissa and roast for 1 minute.
4. Add the canned tomatoes, water, honey, cinnamon stick and bay leaves, bring to a boil and season with salt and pepper. Return the meat to the pot; the liquid should cover about half of it.
5. Put the lid on the pot, place it in the oven and braise the meat for about 3 hours, until it can be easily pulled apart with a fork. Turn it once after 2 hours.
6. To prepare ahead, let the roast cool in its braising liquid, then store it covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. To serve, reheat covered at 170 °C for about 45 minutes.
7. Toast the flaked almonds in a dry pan until golden brown and transfer to a plate.
8. Put the couscous in a bowl, pour 350 ml of boiling water over it, cover and let it steam for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
9. Wash the lemon well in hot water, finely grate the zest and squeeze the juice. Finely chop the parsley and mix it with the lemon zest, lemon juice, almonds and 2 tbsp olive oil into the couscous, then season with salt.
10. Remove the meat from the braising liquid and cut into coarse pieces. Skim the fat from the liquid, reduce it for a few minutes if needed, and remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Serve the meat with the sauce and couscous.