Tagine's are ACE!
I've been making this Morroccan Stew for a few years, but it is SO much better when made in a real tagine! This recipe's based on a Jamie Oliver recipe. And we have tagine's in store...
Serves 6
For the spices
1 tablespoon grated root ginger
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1½ tablespoons paprika
4 garlic cloves
2 onions, roughly chopped
1 red chilli, seeded and chopped
Stalks from good bunch of coriander, reserve leaves
½ teaspoon salt
For the tagine
- 4 lamb shanks, cut into 3 or 4 pieces each or 1 1/2 lbs diced lamb
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 450 g carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 onion, sliced
- 400 g sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks, same size as potatoes
- 450 g vine ripened tomatoes, thickly sliced
- 75 g dried apricots
- 2 tablespoons clear honey
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tin chick peas
- Chicken or vegetable stock to just cover
- Trim lamb of any excess fat, season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Place spice paste ingredients in blender or food processor and blend to a smooth paste.
- Place spice mix into a small bowl and mix together, sieve if necessary.
- Heat olive oil in a large flameproof casserole dish. Add lamb pieces and brown. Set aside.
- Add the spice paste to the remaining oil and fry gently for 3 minutes.
- Add carrots, onion, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, apricots and turn over a few times in the spice mixture.
- Return the lamb to the pan and add the honey and enough stock to not quite cover the meat.
- Add bay leaves and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to the boil and leave to simmer very gently, 1½ - 2 hours, turning the meat occasionally.
- Serve with yummy buttery couscous. (even better, add toasted pine nuts and pomegranite seeds too!)
Use a large casserole or proper tagine. The meat should be falling off the bone. This dish has great depth of flavour. Don't be put off by quantities of spices, they are all needed.
