MOROCCAN LAMB TAGINE

For those of you who missed out on the first Moroccan Cooking Class - here is the
recipe of my lamb tagine.
I know it sounds like a lot of spices and plenty of work. But get to it the night before your dinner party, slowly cook it overnight in the oven, quickly re-heat and serve it to your guests with loads of fresh herbs and toasted almond shavings.


LAMB TAGINE
use a black cast iron pot instead of a tagine dish

SPICE PASTE
50 ml garlic – crushed
1 onions – chopped
2 chili – chopped
parsley – chopped
10 ml white pepper
10 ml salt
100 ml olive oil
100 ml lemon juice

SPICE MIX
10 ml ginger
10 ml black pepper
10 ml cinnamon
10 ml turmeric
5 ml chili powder
10 ml cumin
10 ml ground coriander

TAGINE
1 x leg of lamb – cut into cubes
4 onions chopped
4 leeks chopped
3 bay leaves
1 tin whole peeled tomato's
100 ml clear honey
stock
100 g dried apricots
100 g prunes

Combine all the ingredients for the spice paste and rub into the cubed meat.
Marinate for 15 – 20 minutes
Combine all ingredients for the spice mix
Sautee onions and leeks in olive oil with a salt
Add in spice mix and fry for 3 more minutes
Add in meat cubes and fry for 10 – 20 minutes
Add in stock, tomato's, bay leaves and honey

Place the lid on the pot and place in n pre-heated oven of 120 degrees for 6 – 8 hours.
Check after every hour if there is still enough liquid in the pot – add more stock if needed.

Add apricots and prunes 30 minutes before the end of the cooking process.
You can thicken the sauce a little bit with some corn starch if needed.
Add in lots of freshly chopped coriander or parsley before serving.

A variety of veggies can be added instead or along with the dried fruit.
Add two punnets of fresh cherry tomato's just before the end of the cooking process for a fresh and strong tomato flavour.
Sprinkle toasted almond slivers with fresh herbs ontop of dish just before serving for a nutty flavour.
When making this dish in a cast iron pot it can either be done ontop of the stove or in the oven.

MORE ABOUT THE A TRADITIONAL TAGINE

Tagine is a dish that is named after the special earthenware pot in which it is cooked.
The pot is made out of heavy clay that is sometimes painted or glazed.
It consist out of a deep bottom part and a triangle shaped dome which is especially invented to return all condensation to the bottom again.

A Tagine Dish is usually a stew consisting out of meat and chicken that has been cook until it literally falls off the bone. Neck, shank and shoulder cuts is perfect for this dish.
The list of traditional spices added to a Tagine is endless and range from saffron, cardamom, cinnamon, chili, nutmeg, paprika and cumin.
Apples, pears, raisins, almonds, honey, prunes are all common ingredient.