Lamb and Prune Tagine

Sackville's Note:

I just love this kind of stew -- the lamb and prunes make a wonderful combination (you could use apricots instead of the prunes if you prefer) and the slow cooking means the meat comes out tender everytime.

• Total Time: 3 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 1 kg diced lamb , trimmed of most of its fat
• 1 large onion , peeled and sliced
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 pinch saffron
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 preserved lemons, chopped or ½ lemons, juice and zest of or 1 seville orange (optional)
• 12 dried prunes (you could also use apricots)
• 4 cloves garlic , peeled and chopped
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup whole blanched almond , lightly toasted to serve
• chopped coriander , to serve

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300F or 150 degrees C.
2. Put the meat in a tagine or other earthenware casserole.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and put on the lid.
4. Seal this tightly with foil, or a flour and water paste, and cook in the very low oven for 2 1/2-3 hours.
5. As a variation, you could also make a soup by adding chickpeas, chopped onions, carrots, celery, turnips and plenty more water.

Reviews

[Bergy]

I do love cooking with the Tagine - The aroma and flavor of this recipe is wonderful but it needed a bit of moisture - It was a bit dry - I would make it again but add 1/4 cup of white wine to allow more condensation. The other thing I would do is mix all the spices in a zip lock then add the lamb and shake to coat before adding to the tagine. I will make again with these two modifications. There was no liquid specified in the recipe and I wondered about that but being new cooking Tagine style I let it go.

[BunnyBee]

I love this recipe. I used the amount of preserved lemon stated and didn't add anything else, just served it over mashed garbanzo beans and it was a tart, savory yet sweet delight. It was cooked in a foil-covered Pyrex pan, which worked out just fine. I will definitely make this again. Thanks Sackville!

[HappyRose]

I cooked this dish the other night and we all really enjoyed it. I added about 1 tablespoon of honey half way through cooking as I felt it needed sweetening. I had used 3/4 of a preserved lemon but next time will only use half a lemon (and I will throw is a few dried apricots as well). I found it very easy to make in a casserole dish sealed with foil. It retained the moisture and the leftovers tasted even better the following night. Thank you Sackville for a wonderful and easy to prepare recipe.