LAMB TAGINE
The word "tagine" refers to both a North African cooking pot with a conical lid, and the aromatic stew traditionally cooked inside. Tagine, the stew, classically incorporates savory and sweet ingredients to make a complex dish with a richly spiced sauce. Here, dried apricots, cinnamon, nutmeg and a sprinkling of almonds toasted in butter provide the sweetness, while lamb, saffron, turmeric, tomato paste and a bright garnish of scallions, herbs and lemon juice make it deeply savory. If you have a tagine, the pot, feel free to use it here. Otherwise, a Dutch oven or a different large pot with a tightfitting lid will work well. This recipe is part of The New Essentials of French Cooking, a guide to definitive dishes every modern cook should master. Buy the book.
Provided by Melissa Clark
Categories dinner, lunch, main course
Time 4h
Yield 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 21
Steps:
- In a large bowl, combine lamb and 2 teaspoons salt. Let sit at room temperature at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
- In a small pot, bring stock to a boil. Remove from heat, add apricots, and let sit at least 15 minutes.
- Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a tagine, Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot with a tightfitting lid, warm 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat until hot. Working in batches, add lamb to pot, leaving room around each piece (this will help them brown). Cook until well browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer pieces to a plate as they brown.
- Drain fat, if necessary, leaving just enough to coat the bottom of the pot. Add onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add tomato paste, ginger, 1 cinnamon stick and the spices, and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add lamb and any juices on the plate, the apricots and stock, and half the cilantro. Cover pot with foil and then its lid, and cook in oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until lamb is tender, turning it occasionally. (If using a tagine, you don't need to use foil.) Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
- Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat butter and 1 cinnamon stick over medium heat. Add almonds and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cook until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Discard cinnamon stick.
- To serve, transfer lamb and juices to a serving platter. Top with toasted almonds and any butter left in the small skillet, scallions, parsley and remaining cilantro. Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice to taste. Serve with flatbread or couscous, if desired.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 644, UnsaturatedFat 26 grams, Carbohydrate 19 grams, Fat 49 grams, Fiber 3 grams, Protein 32 grams, SaturatedFat 19 grams, Sodium 691 milligrams, Sugar 12 grams, TransFat 0 grams
LAMB TAGINE WITH OKRA AND QUINCE
The flavors in this modified Saveur recipe are very complex and spicy. Being unfamiliar with quince, fruit that cannot be eaten unless cooked seems unusual. Quince are ripe when yellow in color and are usually available during Fall. Adding an exotic component to the complexity of this dish, nothing can substitute for its tartness and sweetness. Now the poor little misunderstood okra often gets beat up by those who have never had it prepared correctly. Related to cotton, hollyhock, and hibiscus, okra grows in warm climates. Look for young pods under 4 inches long, which should yield tender results when gently simmered a few minutes. Keep in mind that a food processor can speed up the prep work. Although meat is not traditionally browned in making a tajine, I do anyway. Served with couscous and a garnish of preserved lemon on the side, you just might imagine eating outside under a partially open tent, looking out on the desert, all shimmering and silver beneath the starlit Moroccan sky.
Provided by French Terrine
Categories Stew
Time 2h30m
Yield 4-6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 19
Steps:
- Using the grating disc in food processor, grate one onion and set aside.
- Using chopping blade in food processor, mince the garlic and set aside. Mince jalapeno, then chop the two remaining onions and set aside. (Do not combine with the minced garlic or grated onion, since ingredients are added to the simmering tajine at different times.) Chop cilantro and parsley, then set aside.
- Heat olive oil in bottom of tagine or dutch oven with a tightly fitting lid. Brown lamb, adding salt and pepper to taste. Add grated onion, saffron, ginger, paprika, cilantro, parsley and garlic and stir with the browned lamb. Add the can of tomatoes and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile toast cumin seed in a small skillet until fragrant, just a few minutes. Allow to cool, then grind in spice grinder. The Saveur recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin, but you might want to use all that you ground. Or save the rest for another use.
- After lamb has been simmering for 45 minutes, add chopped onions, jalapeƱo, and 1/2 teaspoon (or more if you want) of toasted ground cumin, then simmer 45 minutes more.
- Meanwhile poach the quince. Cut each quince into 6 slices, leaving skin on and removing core and seeds. Using a large skillet, poach the quince in simmering salted water until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain off almost all of the poaching water, reserving about 2--3 tablespoons in the skillet. Add 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and the cinnamon, making a syrup. Cook fleshy side down until glazed, about 20 minutes. Turn over and brown the skin side. Keep warm to serve with the lamb.
- Simmer okra in a small amount of water until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and add to tajine. (The Saveur recipe just adds the okra to the tajine after it has simmered for the 90 minutes. But when I did this before, I simply could not get my okra tender within a few minutes. Once the okra had finally cooked sufficiently, it seemed that some of the other ingredients, like the garlic and cumin, had overcooked, resulting in a bitter flavor. So to get the flavor right, I cook the okra separately).
- To prepare couscous, add 1 cup of boiling water to 1 cup of couscous. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Then fluff with a fork.
- To plate, serve tajine over the couscous and garnish with the quince. If you have any preserved lemon, add a little to the plate with a few sprigs of cilantro.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 801.6, Fat 36.3, SaturatedFat 14.1, Cholesterol 135.3, Sodium 174.3, Carbohydrate 78.2, Fiber 11.5, Sugar 14.6, Protein 43.7
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