Lamb tagine with cinnamon, saffron and dried fruit

"(Recipe from Cooking Light magazine, December) This looks to good not to make.Note: To roast spices, heat the whole spices in a dry pan to release their natural volatile oils and bring out their full aroma and flavor. Use a small, heavy skillet. Add the whole spices (roasting ground spices tends to turn them bitter, so is best avoided) and place over a gentle heat. Shake the pan, or stir with a wooden spatula to keep the spices on the move, and toast gently for 2 to 3 minutes. Some spices, including mustard and poppy seeds, "pop" when they are ready; others darken. The essential sign is that the spice becomes aromatic and smells toasty. Tip into a bowl to cook before grinding - preferably with a mortar and pestle. Remember, a coffee grinder can crush most spices, especially tough ones like cinnamon and cloves; clean the grinder afterward by grinding a small piece of bread or a couple of tablespoons of raw rice."
 
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photo by Kathy228 photo by Kathy228
photo by Kathy228
Ready In:
2hrs 20mins
Ingredients:
21
Serves:
6
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ingredients

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directions

  • Combine Anaheim chili, cumin, coriander, ginger, salt, paprika, ground peppercorns and garlic.
  • Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat.
  • Add lamb; cook 8 minutes on all sides or until browned.
  • Remove lamb from pan.
  • Add onion to pan; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently.
  • Stir in half of chili mixture and tomato puree; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Stir in lamb and water; bring to a boil.
  • Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes.
  • Wrap handle of skillet with foil, and bake, covered, at 325 degrees for 1 hour.
  • Stir in bell pepper, squash, carrot, saffron and cinnamon.
  • Cover and bake an additional 15 minutes.
  • Stir in remaining chili mixture and apricots.
  • Cover and bake an additional 15 minutes.
  • Remove cinnamon stick; serve tagine over couscous.
  • Sprinkle with cilantro.

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Reviews

  1. Amazing! Juxtaposes sweet & savoury the way Moroccan should :D I made a few substitutes in order to use what was on hand: Habanero for Anaheim chili, chicken breast for lamb, vegetable stock for tomato puree & water, red & yellow bell peppers & eggplant for green peppers, acorn & buttercup squash for butternut squash, sweet potato for carrots, quinoa for couscous. I also added chickpeas and chopped dates & apricots .
     
  2. I loved this recipe. Also made it with chicken too and added some raisins. I like to flavour the couscous with lemon juice, olive oil and some garlic and parsley just to pep it up a bit. One day I'll buy a tagine to cook it in.
     
  3. This was good. I followed the recipe as posted, but found that it needed a little more flavor for my preference. So I added more spice plus a tsp salt. That worked fine.I also garnished with oil-cured Moroccan olives. It's a beautiful dish. Thanks Rita.
     
  4. If there were more stars, this would get them. Great aroma, lovely sauce, tender meat, excellent flavor. I restrained myself and followed the directions and added nothing extra. Rita, this is a wonderful dish. Thank you!
     
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Tweaks

  1. Amazing! Juxtaposes sweet & savoury the way Moroccan should :D I made a few substitutes in order to use what was on hand: Habanero for Anaheim chili, chicken breast for lamb, vegetable stock for tomato puree & water, red & yellow bell peppers & eggplant for green peppers, acorn & buttercup squash for butternut squash, sweet potato for carrots, quinoa for couscous. I also added chickpeas and chopped dates & apricots .
     

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