Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Apricots

About This Recipe

Tagine refers both to the conical clay cooking vessel and the slow-cooked North African stew made in it. The cone traps steam and returns it as condensation, keeping the meat exceptionally tender. The marriage of sweet and savoury — lamb with apricots and warm spices — is the heart of Moroccan cooking.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 800 glamb shoulder(cut into 5cm pieces)
• 150 gdried apricots
• 50 gwhole blanched almonds(toasted)
• 1 largewhite onion(grated)
• 4 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 1 tspground ginger
• 1 tspground cinnamon
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspground coriander
• 1/2 tspground turmeric
• 1/4 tspcayenne pepper
• 1 tspras el hanout
• pinchsaffron threads(soaked in 2 tbsp warm water)
• 400 mllamb or chicken stock
• 2 tbsphoney
• 2 tbspargan or olive oil
• 1 small bunchfresh cilantro and flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

1. 1

   Marinate the lamb

   Combine lamb with grated onion, garlic, all spices, saffron water, salt and oil. Mix well. Marinate at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.

2. 2

   Brown the lamb

   Sear lamb pieces over high heat in batches until deeply browned on all sides. Don't crowd the pan — steam instead of sear ruins the colour.

3. 3

   Build the tagine

   Layer browned lamb in a tagine or Dutch oven. Add any remaining marinade and stock. Bring to a simmer, then reduce to lowest heat. Cover and cook 1.5 hours.

   Real tagine is cooked over charcoal at very low heat for 2–3 hours. A Dutch oven in a 160°C oven for 2 hours achieves a similar result.

4. 4

   Add apricots and honey

   In the last 30 minutes, add dried apricots and honey. Stir gently. The apricots should become plump and almost dissolve into the sauce.

5. 5

   Finish and garnish

   Taste and adjust salt. Transfer to a warm platter or serve in the tagine. Garnish with toasted almonds, fresh herbs, and an extra drizzle of honey. Serve with couscous or flatbread.

Variations

• •

  Chicken tagine: substitute lamb with whole chicken pieces, reduce cooking time to 1 hour.

• •

  Vegetable tagine: use chickpeas, root vegetables, replace stock with vegetable stock.

Storage

Improves over 2–3 days. Refrigerate up to 5 days, freeze up to 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions