BY JOYCELYN WINNECKE 

                  It must simmer for a good long time, until the spices have melded artfully, until
                  the meat is more tender than you guessed it could be, until the dried fruit has
                  begun to melt into the thick, dark sauce.

                  A tagine is a Moroccan stew. It needs patience, and a bit of the cook's soul.

                  I gave both. In return I got a remarkably complex dish: deeply seasoned, spicy
                  but not sharp; in fact, sweet, and thrillingly aromatic.

                  This tagine is made of beef and prunes, and it's just spectacular. I fell for the
                  recipe about an hour into its simmer time, seduced by heavenly scents as I
                  stirred and tasted.

                  Begin by dredging the beef in the lightest coating of flour and browning it in olive
                  oil. Set it aside while you cook lots of onion slices, and then add a treasure of
                  spices--ginger, cinnamon, coriander and black and cayenne peppers. The beef
                  goes back in, broth is added, and the slow simmer begins. See how easy.

                  I ate it over plain old egg noodles and it was delicious--comfortable and
                  satisfying. But I felt just a little sad that no one had been invited for dinner, so
                  good was my Moroccan masterpiece. So I'll make this tagine again, and it will
                  be the perfect centerpiece for a winter supper party, offered with couscous, that
                  fluffy staple of North African cuisine.

                  As I said, it's slightly sweet, surprisingly so. A nice complement is a harissa to
                  dab on the side. Harissa is a very hot sauce, a relish really, served frequently in
                  Moroccan meals. This one comes from Florence Fabricant's New Home
                  Cooking (Potter, $30) and is modernized with sun-dried tomatoes.

                  ***

                  Moroccan tagine with prunes

                  Makes 8 servings

                  12 ounces pitted prunes
                  3/4 cup flour
                  3 pounds lean beef, cut into 2-inch pieces
                  3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
                  1-1/2 cups beef broth, divided
                  5 cups sliced onions
                  1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
                  1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
                  2 teaspoons ground coriander
                  1 teaspoon salt
                  1-1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
                  1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
                  Water, about 1 cup, as needed
                  1/2 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces

                  1. Soak prunes in warm water to cover. Set aside.

                  2. Place flour in a plastic bag. Working in batches, toss pieces of beef in flour,
                  then tap each one to shake off all excess flour. In a large heavy pot, heat 1
                  tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown meat
                  on all sides and remove to a platter. Add additional 2 tablespoons oil as
                  needed.

                  3. Add 1/2 cup of beef broth to pot and use a wooden spoon to deglaze pan,
                  scraping up brown bits stuck to bottom. Reduce heat to medium. Add sliced
                  onions and cook until translucent, about 7 minutes. Add ginger, cinnamon,
                  coriander, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper, and cook for 3 minutes
                  more. Return meat to pot. Add remaining beef broth. Bring to a boil, then
                  reduce heat and simmer, covered, for about 1-1/2 hours, until beef is tender,
                  stirring occasionally and adding water a little at a time if mixture becomes too
                  thick.

                  4. Add carrots and cook for about 15 minutes more. Drain prunes and add to
                  mixture, cooking for about 20 minutes longer, until carrots are tender and
                  prunes are beginning to `melt' into stew. Taste and add more salt and pepper if
                  necessary.
                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                  
                  Harissa sauce with sun-dried tomatoes

                  Makes 8 servings

                  2 garlic cloves
                  5 red serrano chilies, stems removed
                  8 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
                  1-1/2 red bell peppers, roasted, stemmed, peeled and diced
                  6 tablespoons olive oil
                  1-1/2 teaspoons hot red pepper flakes
                  Salt

                  1. Finely chop garlic, chilies and sun-dried tomatoes. Add red pepper and
                  puree in a food processor. With machine running, add olive oil. Season to taste
                  with pepper flakes and salt. Sauce should be very hot but not inedible.

                  From New Home Cooking by Florence Fabricant (Potter) 