A lamb tagine is a delicious stew that is cooked in a pot which is also called a tagine. It is a traditional dish from North Africa and suits meats that take a long time to cook, like lamb. However, you can also cook beans, vegetables, and grains in a tagine.
A tagine comes in 2 parts and is usually made from stoneware. The bottom of the tagine is flat bottomed while the top is domed or fluted. Traditionally they are put in an open fire but they can be cooked just as well in an oven or on top of the stove if your tagine is flameproof. The shape of the pot means that the stew retains moisture and the meat doesn’t end up dry. It also cooks the stew at a high temperature which caramelizes the contents of the tagine.
Here we will give you a recipe Moroccan Tagine which will show you how to make a delicious lamb tagine dish.
Moroccan Lamb Tagine
Equipment
- Tagine Cooking Pot
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 ounces dried apricots
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 pounds
diced leg of lamb
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 14 ounce can of tomatoes
- 14 ounces lamb stock
- 3 tbsp ground almonds
- pinch saffron
- salt and pepper
- 2 tsp harissa paste
- 4 tomatoes skinned and quartered
- 1 squash peeled and sliced
- 4 zucchini sliced
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley or mint chopped
Instructions
- In a bowl, cover the apricots in boiling water and leave to soak for 2 hours.
- Put the oven on at 350 degrees F. Brown the lamb in 2 tablespoons of the oil in the tagine bottom and then put to one side.
- Pour in the other tablespoon of oil and cook the onion until tender. Add the garlic, cinnamon, coriander and cumin and cook for another 2 minutes. Put the lamb back in.
- Next add the apricots and the liquid they were soaking in, together with the can of tomatoes and lamb stock.
- Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the almonds, saffron, salt and pepper.
- Put the top of the tagine on and cook in the preheated oven for 1 hour.
- Take the tagine out of the oven and add the tomatoes, squash, zucchini and harissa. Stir well and put the tagine back in the oven for 45 minutes.
- When cooked add a little more harissa if you want that extra kick.
- Serve with couscous.