Pork has an affinity with spices and fruit. Here, cinnamon and cloves mingle with dried figlets, winter pears and butternut pumpkin. Serve with lemon couscous for a delicious authentic Moroccan meal.

Ingredients

• 2 cups chicken stock
• ¼ teaspoon saffron threads
• 750 grams lean pork
• ½ cup well seasoned flour
• 2 tablespoons oil (olive oil is best)
• 1 kilogram (medium to large whole butternut pumpkin
• 2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed but not peeled
• ½x 340 gram packet figlets
• 1 teaspoon whole cloves (about 6-8)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• good shake of ground cumin
• 2 fresh seasonal pears

Lemon couscous

• 1 lemon
• 2 cups couscous

Method

1. Bring chicken stock to the boil and add saffron. Set aside to infuse until required.
2. Cut the pork into 2-3cm pieces and toss in the flour, shaking off any excess.
3. Heat the oil in a heavy based frying pan and add the pork pieces and cook quickly over a hot temperature to brown, but not burn. Transfer the pieces to a large casserole as they become ready.
4. Halve the pumpkin and cut into 2cm thick slices, discarding the seeds. Add the pumpkin to the casserole with the onions, garlic, figlets, saffron-infused stock, whole cloves, cinnamon stick, cumin, pepper and salt.
5. Cover and simmer at 180ºC for 1 hour.
6. Core and quarter the pears. Peel if wished. Add to the tagine, cover and return to the oven and cook a further 15 minutes. Stand 5 minutes before serving with Lemon Couscous.

Lemon couscous

1. Grate the rind and squeeze the juice of one lemon. Add sufficient boiling hot water to make 2 cups.
2. Pour over 2 cups of couscous and allow to stand until fluffy. Season with hot melted butter and plenty of salt. Add a little chopped coriander or parsley if wished.