Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Prunes and Almonds Recipe

Moroccan tagine is essentially a slow-cooked stew made from meat, generally lamb or chicken, but can contain anything from duck to fish. Here is my favourite tagine recipe, Moroccan lamb tagine with Prunes and Almonds, which I learnt to make in Marrakech, Morocco.

Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Prunes and Almonds Recipe

While tagines (also written as tajine) are mostly made with meat, we had a tagine with pulpo (octopus) that was sublime in Essaouria. This Moroccan lamb tagine dish is usually cooked in a tagine pot, a glazed clay base and a large conical lid that’s designed to guide the condensation from cooking back into the pot.

In my last Weekend Eggs post I wrote about how there were many different versions of chakchouka — well, that’s nothing compared to the variations of tagine.

For this lamb tagine with prunes and almonds, it’s best to use the shoulder, neck or shank of the lamb. One of the ideas of the dish — as with most stews — is to use the cheaper cuts of meat and render them tender through slow cooking.

You won’t find two cooks who’ll agree on what exactly should go into a tagine as most follow their own family’s recipe, finely tuned in their ancestor’s kitchens over decades.

I watched Jamila at our Marrakech riad in Morocco make this tagine and while I loved the results there are a couple of things that I’d do differently. But don’t tell Jamila – she’s a force of nature!

I like to sweat the onions and the garlic down before adding the meat. Then I like to brown the meat as well. I think this adds to the flavour of the dish.

I made our final tagine at our Essaouira riad, having shopped that morning in the vibrant local markets — and what wonderful markets they are!

I do realize the irony of cooking lamb tagine in a place known for its seafood, but there is fantastic lamb and beef in the region — in fact the meat sold at the markets comes from just 15 minutes away where the cattle happily graze on the lush green coastal grass.

Leave plenty of time to make this dish because it can take longer than you might expect for the meat to achieve that fall-apart tenderness. Think slow-cooked lamb shanks. You can use a pressure cooker if you want, as it cuts the simmering time down to about an hour. Don’t quote me on that, though.

Sad confession: when making this dish in Australia one time, we had to order in pizza because my tagine wasn’t ready at 10pm — even though it was on the stove at 6pm.

To be safe, leave it for at least four hours from the onions hitting the pan to possible serving time – or have your local pizza place on speed dial and eat it the next day.

The best things about this Moroccan lamb tagine dish are that, firstly, it’s dead easy, and, secondly, it will fill your home with the most delicious aromas. Serve it with some crusty bread or plain couscous.

Note; You can buy the Ras el Hanout spice mix online, if you can’t get all of the ingredients separately.

Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Prunes and Almonds

Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Prunes and Almonds Recipe

Moroccan tagine is essentially a slow-cooked stew, made from meat (generally lamb) or chicken, but could contain anything from duck to fish. This is the classic lamb version.

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Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes

Course: Main

Cuisine: Moroccan

Servings: 2 –4

Calories: 767kcal

Author: Terence Carter

Ingredients

• 500 g lamb neck shoulder (cut into 4cm pieces) or shanks if you prefer
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 large onion sliced finely
• 2 large cloves of garlic peeled and crushed
• 1 mixed bunch of parsley and coriander cilantro tied into a bouquet
• 1 teaspoon ras el hanout see recipe below
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon crushed saffron threads
• 1 teaspoon saffron powder sometimes called “yellow Moroccan food colouring”
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger or minced fresh ginger
• 2 cups of water
• 1 cup of pitted prunes
• ½ cup almonds preferably slivered
• ½ cup of freshly toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

• Sweat the onions in olive oil over medium heat in a large pan until translucent. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant (about 5mins).
• Add the lamb and brown all sides of each piece.
• Add the rest of the ingredients on the list up to the pitted prunes, and stir.
• Pop the lid on top and simmer for at least two hours before checking for doneness.
• As the tagine gets close to being ready, the sauce should reduce to what appears to be syrupy onions and oil. This, readers, is a ‘good thing’.
• When you think you have about an hour to go, try it to see if it needs more seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Add the prunes and the almonds.
• It’s around this stage that some recipes add sugar or honey. Taste and add them if you wish although I never have.
• As you get close to serving, do your couscous then transfer the tagine to the tagine pot and crank the heat up a little. Try to find that damn bundle of parsley and coriander as you don’t want anyone eating that.
• When you’re ready, sprinkle the sesame seeds on top and place the tajine, and the couscous, in the centre of the table — it’s meant to be shared!

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 767kcal | Carbohydrates: 56.4g | Protein: 33.9g | Fat: 49.3g | Saturated Fat: 14.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 35.2g | Sodium: 196mg | Fiber: 9.5g | Sugar: 18.9g

Ras el Hanout

Ras el Hanout

This North African spice mix is used in tagines and as a marinade.

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Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Course: Spice Mix

Cuisine: North African

Servings: 1 small jar

Author: Terence Carter

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds
• 3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed chilli flakes
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

Instructions

• Toast the whole spices separately in a small pan over a medium-high heat. Watch the pan closely and remove from heat as the spices change colour and release their aromas.
• Tip the spices into a spice or coffee grinder and grind to a powder. Add the ground spices and give the grinder an extra whiz to combine the spices. You can store the Ras el Hanout in a sealed jar for up to six months. If the spice mix has been on the shelf for a couple of months you can ‘awaken’ the mix in a small pan over a medium heat until the mix releases its aroma.

If you liked this, see my other posts in this series in which I search for and learn to make quintessential regional dishes, including a chocolate snack with a Michelin-starred chef in Barcelona, Rabo de Toro (oxtail stew) in Jerez, and Cassoulet in Ceret.

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