Tagine

Lamb and Apricot Tagine

A classic Moroccan tagine of slow-braised lamb with ras el hanout, preserved lemon, olives and dried apricots. The conical clay pot concentrates steam, so the meat cooks in its own juices and stays meltingly tender.

Prep

20 min

Cook

150 min

Total

170 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •900 g (2 lb) lamb shoulder, boneless, cut into 5 cm (2 in) chunks
• •2 tbsp olive oil
• •1 large onion, finely grated
• •3 cloves garlic, crushed
• •1 tsp ground ginger
• •1 tsp ground cumin
• •1 tsp ground coriander
• •2 tsp ras el hanout
• •1 pinch saffron threads, steeped in 2 tbsp hot water
• •1 tsp salt
• •0.5 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• •250 ml (1 cup) lamb or chicken stock
• •1 preserved lemon preserved lemon, rind only, rinsed and finely chopped
• •150 g (5 oz) dried apricots, halved
• •100 g (3½ oz) green olives, cracked, such as Moroccan or Castelvetrano
• •30 g (¼ cup) blanched almonds, toasted, for serving
• •15 g fresh cilantro and parsley, chopped, for serving

Steps

1. 1 Season the lamb with salt, pepper, ginger, cumin, coriander and ras el hanout. Let sit 15 minutes while you prep the other ingredients.
2. 2 Heat the olive oil in a tagine base (or a heavy Dutch oven) over medium heat. Add the grated onion and cook 5 minutes until softened, stirring often so it does not brown.
3. 3 Add the garlic and the lamb chunks in a single layer. Brown on all sides, about 6-8 minutes total.
4. 4 Pour in the stock and the saffron with its soaking water. Stir in the chopped preserved lemon rind. Bring to a simmer.
5. 5 Cover with the conical tagine lid (or pot lid), reduce heat to the lowest possible setting, and cook gently for 90 minutes. The lamb is done when a fork slides in with no resistance and the internal temperature of the largest chunk reads at least 90 °C (195 °F) on an instant-read thermometer. Lamb should be cooked through for this braise; 71 °C (160 °F) is the minimum safe temperature for ground and chopped lamb, but braised shoulder chunks should go well beyond that for both texture and safety. If any chunk reads below 90 °C (195 °F), cover and continue cooking, checking every 15 minutes.
6. 6 Stir in the apricots and cracked olives. Cover again and cook 20-25 minutes more, until the apricots are plump and the sauce has reduced to a glossy, spoon-coating consistency.
7. 7 Taste and adjust salt. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and chopped herbs. Serve hot with crusty bread or semolina couscous.