Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Apricots and Golden Raisins

Adapted from Canadian Living Comfort Cooking Winter 2007

This stew is a new favourite for me. It takes a few hours to prepare and cook, but freezes well. The recipe calls for lamb, but it works well with pork too.


Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Apricots and Golden Raisins
(serves 8)

1.5 kg boneless lamb shoulder
2 tspn ground cumin
1 ½ tspn cinnamon
1 tspn each salt and ground ginger
½ tspn each turmeric and pepper
2 cups low salt chicken stock
3 tbspn olive oil
2 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 carrots, sliced diagonally
1 cup sliced dried apricots (the Turkish variety)
½ cup golden raisins (or sultanas)
1 tbspn liquid honey
1 tbspn dried mint
¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted, to serve

In a large bowl, combine cumin, cinnamon, salt, ginger, turmeric and pepper. Set aside 1 tbspn, and add the rest to a large bowl. Trim fat from lamb, and cut into 3cm cubes. Toss in large bowl with spice mix.

Heat 1tbspn of the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Brown lamb in batches, adding up to 1tbspn extra oil if required. Transfer lamb to a plate. Add remaining oil to pan, then fry onions, garlic and reserved spice mix over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft; about 5 minutes.

Return lamb and any juices to pan. Add stock mixture and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until lamb is just tender; about an hour. Add carrots, apricots, raisins, honey and mint; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until carrots are tender; about 30min.

Uncover and boil over medium heat until thickened to the consistency of gravy, about 5 minutes. Serve sprinkled with almonds.