Lamb Tagine
When you see the word “tagine” in a recipe title, you might shy away immediately. Not everyone has a tagine at home. But there’s good news. You can use a Dutch oven instead. Alternatively, any good-sized pot with a fitted lid does the trick. The aroma this recipe produces in your home will make people’s mouths water and stomachs growl. It’s a complex flavored meal, but not a lot of work. Like many other recipes, the lamb tagine gets better if you let it sit overnight in the refrigerator so flavors marry.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds lamb roast (boneless)
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 cups chicken bone broth
- 1 cup dried apricots (golden raisins, figs, prunes, or dates)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tsp fresh ginger
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ¼ tsp each ground cardamom (nutmeg, and cloves)
- ½ tsp each ground turmeric and coriander
- Pinch saffron
- Coarse ground black pepper
- ¼ cup cilantro
- ½ cup toasted almond slivers
- Mint leaves (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Cut lamb into 1” pieces
- Chop the onion and cilantro
- Slice the garlic
- Mince the ginger
- Place the lamb in a large bowl. Toss it with the salt. Let it sit in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
- In a saucier, bring the chicken bone broth to a low, rolling boil.
- Remove from the heat, and add the apricots (or other fruit of your choosing)
- Leave it to sit for 15 minutes.
- Sautee the lamb until golden brown. Set aside.
- In the tagine or Dutch oven, cook the onion over medium heat with olive oil for 5 minutes.
- Follow with ginger and garlic.
- When they are fragrant, stir in tomato paste
- Add the cinnamon, saffron, and pepper
- Move both the lamb and apricot broth into the pot
- Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat for simmering
- Cover and cook for 90 minutes (test the lamb for tenderness)
- Turn off the heat, add your cilantro
- Garnish with almonds and mint
Notes
Serving Tip: Put on top of couscous, Ditalini, orzo, or acini de pepe