Beef Tagine with Green Olives

My friend Elena made this for a travel group luncheon quite a few years ago. It's time I added it to my blog.

1-1/2 lbs stew beef, cut into 1" cubes
1 t. paprika
1 t. cayenne pepper
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ground pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 T. olive oil
2 T. tomato puree
4 shallots, quartered
1 large potato, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
2 large carrots, cut into 1/2" pieces
8 oz. canned chopped tomatoes
2 T. chopped parsley
Dash salt
1/2 c. pitted green olives

Put the 5 spices, garlic, 2 T. olive oil and tomato puree in a large zip lock bag. Knead to mix together. Add teh beef, close, and knead to cover the meat with the spices. Refrigerate overnight.

Heat the remaining oil and saute the shallots, potatoes, and carrots until they begin to change color. Remove from the pan.

In the same pan, fry the marinated meat until sealed on all sides. You may have to do this in batches.

Return the vegetables to the pan; add the canned tomatoes, any remaining marinade, parsley, and salt. Cover and cook over low heat for about 3 hours, or until the beef is tender.

Stir in the olives and allow to just heat through.

Notes:
This works well in a crockpot.
I doubled the recipe for a large dinner party for 15 people.