Lamb Tagine
Lamb shoulder melting into a saffron and cinnamon scented sauce with sweet onions and dried apricots, cooked low in the cone-lidded pot that gives the dish its name.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Lamb Tagine, in 5 ideas
- A tagine cooks in its own steam. The conical lid rains moisture back onto the meat, so very little liquid is needed.
- The spice heart is ras el hanout with cinnamon and ginger. Warm, sweet heat rather than fire.
- Onions go in twice in spirit. Some melt into the sauce, the rest caramelize on top with the fruit.
- Dried apricots or prunes swell in the sauce at the end. Giving the sweet counterpoint Moroccan cooking does so well.
- Scatter toasted almonds over at the table. The crunch against the silk sauce is the final move.
What you need
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 lb lamb shoulder, cut in large pieces
- 2 large onions, one finely chopped, one sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp ras el hanout
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- A pinch of saffron threads, soaked
- 1 cup dried apricots
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1/2 cup toasted almonds
- Olive oil and fresh cilantro
How to make it
Method
Toss the lamb with the chopped onion, garlic, spices, saffron and its water, salt and a splash of olive oil. Marinate 1 hour, or overnight.
Set the seasoned lamb in a tagine or heavy pot with the sliced onion around it and 1/2 cup of water. Cover.
Cook on the lowest heat, or in a 300 °F (150 °C) oven, for 1 1/2 hours, until the lamb is soft enough to cut with a spoon.
Lift the lid and stir in the apricots and honey. Cook, uncovered, 20 minutes, until the fruit is plump and the sauce is glossy and reduced.
Taste for salt and sweetness; the balance should lean gently sweet against the warm spices.
Serve from the pot, scattered with toasted almonds and cilantro, with couscous or torn bread for the sauce.
If your tagine is unglazed earthenware, start it on a heat diffuser and never shock it with cold water; it will serve you for decades.