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Moroccan Lamb Tagine

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Moroccan Lamb Tagine

Recently I have come across several Moroccan dishes that have sounded pretty interesting. They are interesting because they tend to include a lot of spices and flavour combinations that I would not normally think of using. The Moroccan dishes also used dried fruit and harissa for some sweetness and some heat.
I have also come across several tagine dishes. A tagine is a clay pot with a lid that braises meat very efficiently. The tagine can be baked in the oven or it can be cooked on the stove if the tagine has a metal bottom.
In the end I decided to go with a Moroccan lamb tagine . This dish could also be made with beef but I went with lamb since there is a lot of nice looking lamb in the stores now. Since I don’t have a tagine I braised the meat in a covered pot at low heat on the stove. The Moroccan inspired lamb tagine turned out really well. The flavour combinations were really amazing. The spices, the sweetness and the heat all balanced out well. I served the lamb tagine on lemon and mint couscous and garnished it with toasted almonds and cilantro and parsley. Overall it was a very tasty meal.

Moroccan Lamb Tagine

Moroccan Lamb Tagine

Prep Time:45 minutes Cook Time:2 hours Total Time:2 hours 45 minutes Servings: 2
ingredients
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 pinch saffron
  • 1 lemon (zest)
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 pound lamb (cut into bite sized pieces)
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 onion (chopped)
  • 3 cloves garlic (chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon ginger (grated)
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste (I used chopped sun dried tomatoes)
  • 1-2 cups beef stock
  • 2 carrots (cut into bite sized pieces)
  • 1/2 cup dried apricots (chopped)
  • 1/2 cup dried dates (chopped)
  • 1/2 cup dried figs (chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 tablespoons harissa
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro (chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon parsley (chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon toasted almond slices
directions
  1. Mix the paprika, turmeric, cumin, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, salt, ginger, garlic, coriander, saffron, lemon zest and oil in a ziplock bag, add the lamb, mix well and marinate the fridge for a few hours to overnight.
  2. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat, add the lamb, brown well on all sides and set aside.
  3. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
  4. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for about a minute.
  5. Add the lamb, tomato paste, beef stock, carrots, apricots, dates and figs bring to a boil, reduce the meat and simmer covered until the lamb is fall apart tender, about 2-3 hours.
  6. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.
  7. Add the honey and harissa.
  8. Serve garnished with cilantro, parsley and toasted almonds.
Option: For One-Pan: Make this a one-pan meal by adding 1 cup couscous and 1 1/2 cups broth after step 7, bringing to a boil and removing from heat to let sit, covered, until the couscous is tender, about 10 minutes.
Slow Cooker: Optionally implement steps 1-4, place everything except the cilantro, parsley and almond in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-10 hours or high for 2-4 hours.
Lemon and Mint Couscous

Lemon and Mint Couscous

Prep Time:5 minutes Cook Time:10 minutes Total Time:15 minutes Servings: 2
ingredients
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup couscous
  • 1 lemon (juice)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon mint (chopped)
directions
  1. Bring the water to a boil and mix in the couscous.
  2. Turn off the heat, cover and let sit for 5 minutes.
  3. Mix the lemon juice and oil in a bowl.
  4. Mix the lemon and oil mixture and mint into the couscous.
Similar Recipes:
Irish Lamb Stew
Apricot Lamb Tagine
Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Olives and Preserved Lemons
Artichoke and Fava Bean Tagine
Moroccan Nectarine and Plum Chicken Tagine
Moroccan Roasted Carrot and Chickpea Quinoa Salad
Ossobuco Tagine
Pumpkin and Chicken Tagine
Jamaican Style Jerk Beef Stew
Beef and Barley Soup
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Neen says

    March 23, 2008 at 2:32 pm

    Tagines are truly fabulous with all those spices. I use a recipe not dissimilar from yours, and it’s my absolute standby for impressive-but-casual entertaining. It can even be easily adapted for vegetarians by using a ton of mushrooms instead of lamb — you just skip the marinating stage and add all those spices into the tagine directly. Another thought: I find it particularly delicious to cook the cousous IN the tagine, so it absorbs a lot of that great flavor and comes out as a one-pot meal. When you’re done cooking the tagine and it’s still warm, just add couscous and cover for 10 min, fluff and serve! You can then sprinkle the whole thing with the mint. YUM! You may have inspired me to break out my favorite Tagine recipe later this week 🙂

    Reply

  2. katiez says

    March 23, 2008 at 2:55 pm

    When we lived in Andorra our next-door (relatively speaking in the mountains) used to fix wonderful lamb tagines – very similar to this. I may have to start making my own… Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

  3. Ginny says

    March 23, 2008 at 3:10 pm

    Another amazing dish! I really wish we were neighbors! I’ve seen alot of these dishes around but unfortunately haven’t had the time to make them. Your’s looks great!

    Reply

  7. diva says

    March 23, 2008 at 4:52 pm

    i love lamb…mmm. it looks really flavourful. although the list of ingredients looks pretty daunting i’m sure to give this a try one day. thanks for sharing! x

    Reply

  12. Michelle says

    March 23, 2008 at 9:09 pm

    Lamb tagine is my favourite dish of Moroccan cuisine. This looks delish and kudos on the presentation! I really have a hard time making stews/casseroles presentable, but you pulled this off brilliantly.

    Reply

  13. Farida says

    March 24, 2008 at 2:01 am

    What a yummy recipe! Lamb dishes are pretty popular in my cuisine of Azerbaijan, and we have recipes somewhat similar to this. Kevin, you did a great job and the picture is just mouth-watering!

    Reply

  17. chocolate shavings says

    March 24, 2008 at 10:56 am

    Tagines are delicious – I have never ventured into trying to make them at home, but they are one of the most comforting type of meals. Great choice on the lamb too – the tender meat must have been good with the couscous. Great job!

    Reply

  19. giz says

    March 24, 2008 at 7:21 pm

    Kevin – you’re killing me – not only do I love the finished product of a Moroccan tagine, I’d love to have the actual pot. Even the small individual tagines are an incredible presentation of a wonderful dish.

    Reply

  20. Terry B says

    March 24, 2008 at 10:04 pm

    Man, this looks wonderful! I’m a big fan of lamb, and this spice mix sounds perfect. Moroccan cooking suddenly seems to be popping up all over the blogosphere. I recently made a Moroccan braised beef dish that incorporates golden raisins and slow oven braising. Also quite good.

    Reply

  23. Jerry says

    March 25, 2008 at 12:50 am

    That is quite the list of ingredients. I have put off making a tagine because I don’t have the pot. Hearing about your success has sured me of that.

    Reply

  24. maybahay says

    March 25, 2008 at 2:30 am

    north african stews are a staple at my house now that i am working. it’s easy so make a big batch on the weekend and they freeze well. my favourite is a version with lots of cinnamon, dried apricots and dates. your recipe sounds fabulous. i have to get myself a tagine soon…

    Reply

  26. Anonymous says

    October 1, 2008 at 9:35 pm

    Hey Kevin, I’d really dig how to make that in a Tagine. I hear it’s much better using the traditional pot. In one recipe they put the carrots on the bottom and let them burn a little.

    Reply

  27. Anonymous says

    February 2, 2009 at 8:21 pm

    Thank you so much for this awesome recipe! I made it for my Super Bowl party and my guests (who can be quite picky about food) lovvvved it. I tripled the recipe to accomadate more people and it was still no problem. Thanks!

    Reply

  28. Najwa says

    March 11, 2010 at 7:45 am

    Your recipes look AMAZING and the photos are absolutely beautiful. I became an instant fan because your recipes are not monotonous, but very versatile and colorful instead. Thank you so much!!! I will definitely be visiting very often.

    Reply

  29. Jessica says

    February 14, 2011 at 4:51 am

    I found your site tonight and whipped the tangine together. I subbed a couple ingredients: ground lamb, some green beans since I had one carrot. I also realized I didn't have nearly the amount of time needed so I pressure cooked it for 30 min and then added the fruit and vegies for another 30. It was wonderful! Even my kids ate it! WOW, thank you for posting this.

    Reply

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