“Don’t you know we’re riding on the Marrakesh Express” (as the old song used to go), with this month’s recipe for a traditional North African dish. The concept of tagine cooking gets a mention in the famous ‘One Thousand and One Nights’ Arabic story collection, and is a great way to use cheaper cuts of (otherwise very expensive!) lamb. The word ‘tagine’ refers to both the traditional earthenware cooking pot and the dish cooked inside it. Before you get in touch to check, the recipe really does use tablespoon quantities of Ras Al Hanout to produce an intense aromatic flavour.
Ingredients (Serves: 4-5)
| Lamb shoulder or stew meat – about 1 kg after removing excess fat. |
| Seasoning for lamb - salt 1tsp and ground pepper 1⁄2 tsp |
| Brown onion – 2 diced, Garlic – 3 cloves minced |
| Tomato puree (paste) 11⁄2 tbsp |
| Ginger – grated 2 tsp |
| Cinnamon – 2 sticks (or ground equivalent) |
| Ras Al Hanout – 41⁄2 tbsp (or make your own – see below*) |
| Chicken Stock – 600 ml |
| Dried Apricots (and/or dates) – 1 cup |
| Lemon zest 2-3tsps |
| Almond flakes: 1 tbsp gently toasted for 1 -2 minutes |
| Coriander 1⁄2 cup, chopped for garnish |
| Couscous – prepare 15 minutes beforeserving, to pack instructions |
| *Ras Al Hanout Spice Mix: |
| Ground Coriander – 1 tbsp |
| Ground Cumin – 1 tbsp |
| Turmeric – 2 tsp, Salt - 1⁄2 tsp |
| Ground Cardamom – 2 tsp |
| Fennel Powder – 11⁄2 tsp |
| Cayenne Pepper - 1 tsp |
| Ground Cloves - 1⁄4 tsp |
| Ground Ginger - 1⁄4 tsp |
Method
- Use a large (at least 9”) oven-proof pot or saucepan with a lid for the whole recipe (from the hob to oven). Even better, cook in a tagine pot if you want to impress your diners!
- Trim excess fat from lamb and cut into large 1.5 inch cubes. Toss in salt and pepper. Brown in up to 3 batches in 3 tbsps oil. Set aside in separate
bowl. - Sauté onion and garlic for approximately 5mins. Add tomato paste, ginger, cinnamon and Ras Al Hanout spice mix. Toast for 1-11⁄2 minutes, stirring constantly to cook out the raw tomato paste and bring out the spice flavours.
- Add the chicken stock and lamb. Bring to a simmer for 1 minute.
- Cover with lid and transfer pot to a 180°/160°C fan oven for 45 minutes.
- Add apricots and stir them in gently. Replace lid and return the tagine to the oven for a further 1 hour (‘til lamb pieces are fork tender). Occasionally check that sauce has not reduced too far (add 100ml water if necessary).
- Prior to serving - gently stir in lemon zest. Garnish with chopped coriander and toasted almond flakes. Serve on plain couscous.