The Repurposing Life

Moroccan Lamb Tagine

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Additional Time: 8 hours
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 10 hours 45 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lamb shoulder, about 2½ lbs. (1.1kg ) meat, trimmed and cut into 2 in. (5cm) chunks
• 1½ Tbsp. paprika
• 1½ Tbsp. ground ginger
• 1 Tbsp. ground turmeric
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. argan oil
• 2 large onions, grated
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
• 1 pint (570ml) tomato juice
• 2–12 oz. cans (400g each) chopped tomatoes
• 4 oz. (115g) dried apricots, halved
• 2 oz. (55g) dates, halved
• 2 oz. (55g) raisins
• 3 oz. (85g) sliced almonds
• 1 tsp. saffron stamens, soaked in cold water
• 1 pint (600ml) lamb stock
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 2 Tbsp. flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Instructions

1. Place paprika, ginger, turmeric and cinnamon, black pepper and cayenne in a bowl and combine well. Put lamb chunks in a large bowl or marinade bag and toss with half of the spice mix. Cover and marinate overnight in the fridge.
2. Preheat the oven to 300℉ (150℃).
3. Heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil with 1 Tbsp. argan oil in a large casserole dish. Add the grated onions and the remaining spice mix and cook on low heat for ten minutes until the onions are soft. Add the garlic and cook an additional 3 minutes.
4. In a separate sauté pan, heat the remaining oil and brown the lamb cubes on all sides. Add the browned meat to the casserole dish. Deglaze the sauté pan with ¼ pint of the tomato juice, then add these juices to the casserole dish.
5. Add the remaining tomato juice, canned tomatoes, apricots, dates, raisins, sliced almonds, saffron, lamb stock and honey to the casserole dish. Bring to a boil, cover with a fitted lid, place in the oven and cook for 2–2½ hours or until the meat is fork tender.
6. Place the lamb in a tagine or large serving dish and sprinkle with the chopped herbs. Serve hot.