The word tagine, like the word casserole, can refer both to a cooking vessel and the dish that's cooked in it. The pot usually has a conical lid and is made of earthenware. The dish is a Moroccan specialty. This particular version, from Kitty Morse's Cooking at the Kasbah, is an exceptional one that doesn't taste as sweet as you might expect. You can leave out the saffron for economy's sake if you wish and, I suspect, the dish would be just as good with pork instead of lamb.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 pounds leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into 2-inch chunks
2 onions
1 cup chicken broth
8 threads saffron
15 fresh cilantro sprigs, tied with cotton string
1 cup pitted prunes
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pepper
salt to taste
1 tablespoon toasted unhulled sesame seeds
Directions:
In Dutch oven over medium-high heat saute turmeric, ginger, and lamb in olive oil until meat is well coated and lightly browned. Finely dice one onion and add to meat. Add broth, cilantro, and saffron. (If using saffron toast 2-3 minutes in a nonstick pan, stirring constantly, before crushing into pot.) Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for an hour or so until meat is tender. Discard cilantro and remove meat, keeping warm. Bring sauce in pot to a simmer and add prunes, honey, cinnamon, pepper, and remaining onion, sliced, and season with salt. Cook until mixture thickens, about 6-8 minutes and spoon sauce over meat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serves 4.
Printer-friendly
E-mail this page to a friend