African Lamb Tagine
If you asked me which countries I would like to visit, you might be surprised by my answer. Although I might be curious about France and England, these two are not on my priority list. The ones I really want to go to are Russia, Portugal, Italy, Greece, Spain, Peru, Chile, Vietnam, Thailand, Egypt, Jordan and Morocco.
I am attracted to things that I’m not familiar with or different from what I’m used to so the curious side of my personality can be satisfied! I love to discover, I love to experience new things that I’ve never experienced before and of course, that includes food.
A few years ago, I bought a tagine on line. Initially, I wanted to buy this cooking vessel while visiting Morocco. Being impatient as a typical Aries, I bought it without having set foot in that particular country; eventually I will though, it’s in the cards! All I wanted to do with it was to create exotic recipes like this one… my African Lamb Tagine! It’s a little like “Mrouzia”, a Moroccan sweet & savory tagine served during the Eid al-Adha festival.
This is an incredible recipe with a beautiful rub, that makes this dish very flavorful! Without patting myself on the back (actually I am… I’m very proud of the results… lol!), this is a meal I enjoy serving to my guests. This dish and especially the cooking vessel is quite a conversation piece. There’s an ingredient that I didn’t add this time but I will in my next tagine recipe I’ll be sharing with you. It’s “L’hamd Marakad” which is pickled lemon used in Moroccan cooking in many dishes. It’s absolutely delish!
The way I like to serve this African Lamb Tagine is with rice, either white or saffron. Sometimes I like to pair it with my Couscous… it all depends on how I feel and how much flavor I want to add to the menu. Another food item that is “a must” is flatbread (hobz) or even Naan.
If you like to experiment in the kitchen with new styles, new ways of cooking and definitely new flavors, this African Lamb Tagine is the perfect dish to make! If you’re not a big fan of lamb, you can always substitute chicken… it’s just as lovely and tasty!
Bon Appétit!
Note: You can make everything without a tagine. Simply use a large saucepan.
Here are more delicious lamb recipes for you to try…
– Lamb Keema
– Greek Dolmades with Avgolemono Sauce
– North African Merguez
– Lamb Kofta with Yogurt Sauce
– Lamb Chops with Balsamic & Red Wine Reduction
– Mediterranean Leg of Lamb
– Turkish Kebabs
and for even more incredible International recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • International
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African Lamb Tagine
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Ingredients
RUB
- 1/2 tbsp. smoked paprika
- 1/2 tbsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tbsp. ground ginger
- 1/2 tbsp. ground sumac
- 1/2 tbsp. ras el hanout
- 1 tsp. ground turmeric
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, or more to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I always use mixed peppercorns)
TAGINE
- 1 1/2 lbs. lamb shoulder (substitute chicken), cut into bite size pieces
- 1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil tips & tricks
- 2/3 cup red onions, finely chopped
- 3 large cloves garlic, pressed
- 1 cup plum tomatoes, washed, seeded and diced
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, or more as needed
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar, such as demerara
- 1 tbsp. pomegranate molasses see Recipe
- 1/4 tsp. Moroccan mint flakes, or more to taste
- 1/2 tsp. saffron threads, crumbled
- 1 pinch ground Himalayan sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I always use mixed peppercorns)
- 1/4 cup raisins, sultanas, currants, figs, dates or apricots *optional
- 1/3 cup toasted slivered almonds, for garnish tips & tricks
- 1 tbsp. chopped cilantro, for garnish tips & tricks
Directions
RUB
- In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients together.
- Place lamb cubes in a large bowl and sprinkle on the rub mixture; stir until the meat is well coated.
- Cover and transfer to the refrigerator for at least 18 and up to 24 hours.
TAGINE
- The next day, place a heat diffuser on the burner under the tagine. Add oil and turn the heat to medium. When it gets hot, add onions and sauté for 2 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for only 1 minute.
- Add the lamb cubes and stir constantly; cook for 10 minutes.
- Add tomatoes, stir well and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Pour in 1 cup chicken broth and add brown sugar, pomegranate molasses, mint flakes, saffron, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir and increase the heat to medium-high. If desired, add ¼ cup dry fruits of your choice.
- When the mixture starts simmering, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 30 minutes, stirring often. During this time, if it needs more liquid, add a little chicken broth.
- Half an hour later, remove the tagine from the heat and stir well before sprinkling on some toasted slivered almonds and fresh chopped cilantro. Serve immediately with white rice, saffron rice or couscous along with flatbread (hobz).
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