Description
Last year, my husband and I walked the coast to coast Wainswright route across Northern England. Just past the halfway mark, we stayed the night in Muker. There was only one place to eat in this small hamlet ~ the local pub with its stodgy owner. Our B&B hosts had nothing pleasant to say about the barkeep. But, I will say the food was delicious.
For dinner, my husband ordered bangers and mash loaded into a giant Yorkshire pudding. Because the menu offered dishes different than traditional English pub food, I opted to order one of those. Lamb Tagine was one of those options, and it was delicious.
I don’t often cook Moroccan food at home. Honestly, I just haven’t explored it enough, but I definitely need to! This dish was so yummy that I had to bring it home with me. Most Tagine recipes call for apricot, but I wanted to switch it up. I added figs instead, a fruit highly venerated in Moroccan culture.
This dish is so easy to make. It comes together quickly and then sits in your oven for a couple of hours doing its own thing! Or, prep it the night before and throw it in a crockpot to simmer slowly for the day.
Ingredients
1½ lbs lamb stew meat, cut into 1” to 2” cubes
6 garlic cloves, minced
1” ginger, minced
1 large onion, chopped
10 dried figs, quartered
2 cups chicken broth
2 TB tomato paste
1 TB ground cinnamon
½ TB ground cumin
1½ tsps turmeric
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp coriander
½ tsp ground pepper
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp ground clove
pinch of saffron threads
1 TB flour
1 TB olive oil
salt to taste
mint leaves, chopped
cilantro, chopped
couscous to serve
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°
Heat a medium Dutch oven over medium heat. When hot, work in batches to sear the lamb on all sides but not cook through. Remove and place in a bowl.
Add the olive oil to the pan, scraping off any lamb bits. Add the onions and season lightly with salt. Cook until just starting to soften ~ about 5 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook an additional minute, or until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and stir to coat the onions. Sprinkle the flour and stir until fully absorbed.
Slowly add the chicken broth, stirring constantly to incorporate the tomato paste. Add the seasonings: ground cinnamon, ground cumin, turmeric, paprika, coriander, ground pepper, nutmeg, ground clove, and saffron. Stir to thoroughly combine. Bring the broth to a light simmer. Add the figs and cover with a lid. Pop it in the oven and cook 2 hours, or until the lamb is fork tender. Stir in the chopped cilantro.
Remove from the oven and serve over couscous. Top with the chopped mint.
Enjoy!
Keywords: Lamb Tagine, Lamb Tagine with Figs, Tagine, Moroccan Recipes