Lamb and Date Tagine

Tagine (an aromatic stew) is a North African dish (Algeria, Morocco, Libya and Tunisia) and was traditionally used by nomads. Tagine is also the name of the pot the food is cooked in. The cone shaped cover is designed to return all of the condensation to the bottom which helps to intensify the flavors of the dish and keep the food moist. For more recipes and information on the tagine, click here.

Serves 6
recipe from Good Taste magazine

1 tablespoon sweet paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1.5kg boneless lamb shoulder, fat removed and cut into 5cm pieces
625ml (2 1/2 cups) chicken stock
2 tomatoes, coarsely grated
1 large brown onion, coarsely grated
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon honey
1 (2cm) cinnamon stick
large pinch of saffron threads
85g (1/2 cup) dried apricots
85g (1/2 cup) pitted dates, sliced
24g (1/4 cup) flaked almonds, toasted
1/3 cup fresh coriander leaves
cooked couscous, to serve

Combine paprika, cumin, ginger, ground coriander and pepper in a glass or ceramic dish. Season with pepper. Add lamb and toss to coat. Cover and place in the fridge overnight to marinate.

Preheat oven to 180c. Transfer lamb mixture into a 2.5L (10 cup) oven proof dish. Stir in the stock, tomato, onion, garlic, honey, cinnamon and saffron. Bake, covered, for 2 1/2 hours or until the lamb is almost tender. Stir in the apricots and dates. Season with salt. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until sauce thickens and lamb is tender. Transfer the lamb mixture to a serving dish and sprinkle with coriander leaves and almonds. Serve with couscous.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: Wow! Talk about a taste sensation! I love all the flavors mingling here and the meat is so fork tender. I remember the first time I made a Tagine and the flavors were amazing back then. When mixing the spices into the meat, make sure every piece is coated. Also, don’t worry if you don’t have enough time to marinate (like I did) as the flavors are just as nice even if you only have 30 minutes. To make the couscous, place equal amounts of couscous and boiling water in a bowl. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Use a fork to separate the grains. A nice bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon will go nicely with this dish. Enjoy!