I picked up a leg of lamb today. half price. from the supermarket and I am going to make a Lamb Tagine. The recipe looks easy enough and I can prepare it ahead. I think it will actually improve with standing and it will give me a chance to use my new Tagine pot! Lots of good reasons then to make it.
Tagine is a dish from North Africa, named after the earthenware pot it is cooked in. The traditional Tagine has a flat circular base with low sides and a dome-shaped top. The top is shaped like this to allow the steam to condense and return to the stew below, keeping the moisture in. There is a knob at the top to facilitate easy removal of the top to allow additions to the stew whilst it is cooking.
Moroccan tagines are slowly braised at low temperatures. This results in meltingly tender meat in aromatic sauces. This cooking process is ideal for cheap cuts of meat so many recipes will use cheap cuts of lamb or chicken. You will often find they include sweet ingredients such as dried fruits, preserved lemons and honey. They will always, however, include spices, traditionally these will be a mix of cinnamon, ginger, turmeric and paprika. I used a leg of lamb, boned and cut into cubes, because my husband hates fat or chewy lamb. The cooking time was almost halved, but I have kept the recipe as intended, ie, using cheaper cuts of lamb.
For years I would avoid cooking this meal. I am not a lover of stews that combine meat with dried fruit and nuts. What a fool I was! The end result is absolutely gorgeous!! Tagines are usually served with couscous. I have never had any success with couscous and usually find it bland and tasteless. This time I cheated and gave a ready mixed Moroccan couscous a try. All I had to do was add water and it was delicious. I may have a go at making my own like this another time. If you don’t like couscous, try serving it with rice or Orzo. I’m sure these would be just as good!
Here is the recipe.
Moroccan Lamb Tagine Serves 6
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1-2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp turmeric
- 1.5 tbsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 2.5 lbs boned lamb, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1.2 tsp salt
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb onions, finely chopped
- 6 oz ready to eat dried apricots
- 3 oz toasted, flaked almonds
- 1 tbsp clear honey
- 1/2 pt tomato juice
- 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 pt hot lamb stock
- chopped coriander to garnish
- Heat oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3.Mix the spices together in a small bowl then add to the lamb, mixing to coat well.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in an hob to oven casserole on a high heat. Brown the lamb in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan, adding extra oil for each batch.
- Turn down the heat to low and add the remaining tbsp oil. add the onions and cook until softened but not browned. Add the garlic and salt towards the end of cooking.
- Return the lamb to the casserole and stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to the boil and transfer to a tagine or cover the casserole and cook in the oven for 2 hours or until the lamb is meltingly tender. Check occasionally and stir to ensure it is not drying out.
- Serve sprinkled with the coriander.
Tasty Advice 