Kiwisizzler

Lucky us – we were given for Christmas a fantastic tagine, the traditional cooking dish from Morocco. Since we have such cold weather lately, I can’t think of a more warming dish than lamb tagine with dates, apricots and a bit of roast vegetable couscous on the side.

Tagines can be cooked on the stove-top or in the oven although if your tagine is ceramic and you are using gas burners it is recommended that you use a metal tray underneath to prevent it from cracking. If you have one of the modern tagines with a cast iron base you will be able to seal your meat at higher temperatures than with a ceramic tagine. The cone-shaped lid of the tagine is designed to collect the condensation produced during cooking which then runs back into the stew, keeping it nice and moist.

The ideal cuts of meat for tagines include lamb neck, shank or shoulder as well as chicken thighs and other inexpensive cuts. Ideal seasoning ingredients include apricots, dates, quince, apple, plums and more. Vegetable tagines can also be made successfully and can include aubergines, peppers, okra and pretty much anything else.

Tagine goes well with a side of freshly-made couscous. Simply toss some couscous with lemon juice and olive oil in a bowl, add enough boiling stock (I used lamb but chicken or vegetable is great) to cover and cover the bowl with clingfilm for ten minutes or so until the couscous is nice and plump. Fluff up the couscous with a fork and add some fresh mint, coriander and a little parsley. If you have some leftover roasted vegetables or some dried apricots and almonds, these will top it off to perfection!

Lamb Tagine

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon paprika

¾ tablespoon ground ginger

½ tablespoon tumeric

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

600g shoulder of lamb, trimmed and cut into chunks

1 ½ medium onions – grated

2 tablespoons rapeseed or argan oil (Moroccan oil from the argan tree – find in specialist shops)

2 cloves garlic, crushed

200ml tomato juice

400g tinned chopped tomatoes

60g dried apricots cut in ½

30g dates – cut in ½

30g sultanas or raisins

50g flaked almonds

½ tsp saffron stamens, soaked in cold water

200ml lamb or beef stock

½ tablespoon clear honey

½ tablespoon pomegranate molasses (optional)

1 tablespoon coriander – roughly chopped

1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley – roughly chopped

1. Place cayenne, pepper, paprika, ginger, tumeric and cinnamon into a small bowl and mix to combine. Place the lamb into a large bowl and toss together with ½ the spice mix. Cover and leave overnight in the fridge.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or tagine dish – I used a cast iron tagine pan but this recipe works very well in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the grated onion and remaining spice mix and cook over a gentle heat for 10 minutes so that the onions are soft but not coloured. Add the crushed garlic for the final 3 minutes.
3. Add the lamb to the pan and cook until coloured on all sides. De-glaze the pan with half of the tomato juice. Scrape the yummy flavours off the bottom with a wooden spoon or spatula.
4. Add the remaining tomato juice, chopped tomatoes, apricots, dates, sultanas, almonds, saffron, stock, honey and pomegranate molasses. Bring to the boil, cover with a fitting lid and cook over a low heat for 2-2 ½ hours or until the meat is meltingly tender. Taste and season with a little salt if desired.
5. Serve the lamb in a tagine dish or large serving dish and sprinkle over the chopped herbs.