meat and tomato tajine with mlokhia (gumbos) or potatoes

Ingredients for 6 to 8 people :

* 1 1/2 kg (3 lbs 5 oz) of meat (mutton shoulder and chops or veal knuckle)

* 4 kg (9 ibs) of tomatoes * 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) of Mlokhia (gumbos) when in season or potatoes

* 1 1/2 ladlefuls of groundnut oil * 1 heaped teaspoonful of ginger

* 1 coffespoonfl,,, of saffron (mixed packet saffron and crushed flowers)

* 1 handful of chopped parsley * salt

Preparation:

Cut the meat into pieces weighing 150 g (5 oz), rinse and put in a thick-bottomed saucepan. Add salt, ginger, saffron and oil and cover with water. Cook with the lid on, stirring from time to time, Meanwhile, peel, seed and cut up the toma,toes. When the tomatoes are ready, take the pieces of meat out of the saucepan and put on one side. Put the tomatoes in the saucepan and add the parsley and salt. Leave to boil a iew seconds then reduce the heat. Top and tail the gumbos and rinse quickly. Put in a separate saucepan with salt and cook with a little sauce from the meat.

Leave the tomatoes to boil down to a purée very gently, stirring, frequently and taking care to scrape the bottom to avoid anything sticking. Once this purée is cooked, put the pieces of meat back into the thick-bottomed saucepan to finish cooking in the tomato. Continue stirring frequently and when the meat is cooked and breaks off easily in the fingers, take the saucepan off the heat, Arrange the meat on a round dish with the tomato purée poured over and the gumbos scattered over the top. Serve at once.