Don’t be scared of the long list of ingredients. This traditional Moroccan dish is easy to prep and made with not a lot of exotic ingredients. I’ve streamlined and simplified the dish so it’s all done in one pot (a large Dutch oven). But if you want to take it to the next level, I have notes at the bottom of the recipe on how to make it even more tasty with a few extra steps.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mediterranean, Moroccan
Keyword lamb, Moroccan, prunes, stew, tagine
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time 2 hourshours15 minutesminutes
marinade time 1 hourhour
Servings 4
Calories 1024kcal
Author Irvin
Ingredients
marinade
2 1/2poundslamb shoulder or legboneless
1/4cupolive oil
1teaspoonground cumin
1teaspoonpaprikaHungarian preferred
1teaspoonkosher salt
1teaspoonground black pepper
To cook
2tablespoonolive oil
1medium yellow onionchopped
4medium cloves garlicchopped
2tablespoonschopped parsley leaves
1teaspoonpaprikaHungarian preferred
1teaspooon kosher salt
1teaspoonground black pepper
1/2teaspooncumin
Generous pinch of saffroncrumbled with your fingers
1 1/2 to 2 1/2cupswaterplus more if necessary
2cupsCalifornia Prunes
1 2-inchcinnamon stick
1tablespoonmild honey
2drops orange blossom wateroptional
To finish
1/4cupsliced almonds
2teaspoonssesame seeds
2teaspoonchopped parsley leaves
Instructions
Cut the lamb into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Place in a gallon size resealable bag.
Make the marinade by combining the oil, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl or glass measuring cup.
Pour marinade into the bag with the lamb pieces. Seal the bag and “massage” the meat until all the pieces are covered with the marinade evenly. Place in the refrigerator for a minimum 1 hour and up to 8 hours.
Once the meat has finished marinating in the spices, drizzle the 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a large Dutch oven or pot. Add the chopped onions and garlic and cook over medium heat until the onions just barely start to look translucent.
Push the onions and garlic to the side and add half the lamb chunks to the bottom of the pan and continue to cook, browning all the sides of the meat and occasionally stirring the onions and garlic on the other side to keep the bottom from burning.
Once the meat browned on all sides (don’t worry if the inside of the lamb isn’t cooked, you just want the outside browned), move it on top of the onions and add the remaining meat to the empty side of the pot. Don’t worry if things started to look crowded or get jumbled up in the pot. Just do the best you can. Brown the remaining meat the same manner as before. Once all the meat has browned, stir the entire pot together to combine all the ingredients. Then add the parsley leaves, paprika, salt, pepper, cumin, and saffron.
Add 1 1/2 to 2 cups of water, or just enough water for all the meat to be barely submerged. Turn the heat up to high, and bring the water to a boil. Then reduce the heat to a bare simmer.
Cover the pot, but leave it just slightly ajar, to let some of the steam escape. Cook the tagine for 1 1/2 hours, occasionally stirring it. If the sauce starts to look too thick, add an additional 1/4 cup of water to the pot, repeating if necessary.
Once the 1 1/2 hours are up, add the prunes, cinnamon stick, honey, and the orange blossom water (if using). Stir to combine and add an additional 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water if the sauce looks too thick. Remember the prunes will absorb more of the liquid from the sauce. Cook for 20 more minutes at low temperature.
Once the prunes are cooked, sprinkle the top of the tagine with sesame seeds, slice almonds and parsley leaves. Serve by itself or with a starch of your choice like cous cous, pearl cous cous or thick slices of toasted bread.
Notes
• To deepen the spice flavor, toast whole cumin seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until they become fragrant. Let them cool, then grind in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.• To give the meat more intense spice, marinate the lamb for a minimum of 4 hours, up to 8 hours for a more intense, complex flavor.• To make the dish more complex, sear the lamb meat in a separate different pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium high heat. Make sure each piece of meat has completely caramelized and browned on each side, before moving it to the Dutch oven with the onions.• To create a more traditional flavor, use 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons culinary Argan oil in the marinade. Use the culinary Argan oil in place of the olive oil when you cook the onions and sear the meat.