I'm not entirely sure about the authenticity of this recipe, I think it's a mixture of several North African and middle-eastern recipes - however it is my interpretation of a lamb tagine. I can however vouch for its taste, which was absolutely outstanding. I cooked this dish for a friend's birthday party - clean plates all around!
Ideally the cooking process should start the day before eating - this is definitely a dish that improves with age!
Ingredients for 12 people
3
kg shoulder of lamb - cut into 3cm chunks
8
large shallots - sliced 8
cloves garlic - finely diced 6 tbs ginger - grated 3 tbs harissa 6 tsp paprika 3
tsp cayenne pepper 6
tsp ground cumin 3
tsp turmeric powder 3
tsp cinnamon powder 3
pinch saffron 1
litre pomegranate juice 1
litre lamb stock 4
dried limes 250g
dates 250g
prunes 500g
dried apricots Sea
salt Freshly
ground black pepper 3
handfuls fresh mint - coarsely chopped 3
handfuls fresh parsley - coarsely chopped Coriander
leaves (for garnish) Pomegranate
seeds (for garnish) dry roasted pine nuts (for garnish) A confession to begin with, I did not cook this in a tagine as the name suggests but a very large Le Creuset casserole dish. Let's start by heating a little olive oil in a
casserole/ heavy bottomed pan, and then add sufficient lamb to cover the base, but don't let it get too crowded. Brown the lamb on all sides, and continue to brown in batches until completed. Set aside the browned lamb - reserve those juices too for adding later. In the same pan or dish, add a little more olive oil and immediately start to soften the sliced shallots. Whilst the shallots are cooking, mix the paprika, c ayenne pepper, g round cumin, turmeric powder, and cinnamon powder with the garlic and ginger.
When the shallots have softened and just starting to colour, add the mixed spices above and cook for a couple of minutes before further adding the browned lamb, harissa paste and the saffron strands. Stir and mix well and enjoy the heady aroma of the spices, shallots and lamb with the heat of the harissa.
Now add the pomegranate juice, lamb stock, preserved limes and half of the dried fruits. Top up with a little water if required and set on a low light to simmer away quietly with a covered lid. Now I subscribe to the school of good, long, slow cooking so in my book there is no definitive time to cook at this very gentlest of simmers, but 2 hours would be an absolute minimum, and when I cooked this I left it for 5 hours with hardly a ripple on it's surface.
Turn off the heat, ensure it is tightly covered and preferably leave well alone for the next 24 hours.
3 hours before serving I returned the dish to a gentle heat and as it warmed through once more added the remaining dried fruits. Taste the sauce for seasoning at this stage and if necessary add a little salt and black pepper, but my experience is that very little additional seasoning is required.
Now for the last 30 minutes of cooking, remove the lid and allow the sauce to reduce a little. Whilst the final stages of cooking are happening, chop up the fresh mint and the parsley, adding to the dish a couple of minutes before serving.
Finally, before serving on a huge serving dish garnish with coriander, roasted pine nuts and the pomegranate seeds.
I served this with a room-temperature couscous mixed with lemon juice, mint, coriander, a little finely chopped chili and a glug of the finest extra virgin olive oil you can lay your hands on.
Please try - I know you will not be disappointed, it's not a difficult dish and the flavour experience, richness and fragrance will transport you all to Northern Africa !
Enjoy!
