A delightful meld of savoury and sweet flavours – and a beautiful combination of tender meat bathed in a rich, spiced sauce. And, bonus, it’s super-easy to make!
- 500g lamb neck fillet or shoulder, cut into chunks
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 2 tsp honey
- Pinch saffron
- 350ml lamb or chicken stock
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes
- Handful of dried apricots
- 1 preserved lemon (or juice of half a lemon)
- 1 tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- Handful fresh coriander, chopped
- Small handful fresh mint, chopped
- Mix all the ground spices together
- Toss the lamb pieces in half this spice mix and leave to marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours
- Pre-heat the oven to 140C fan (160C)
- Heat the olive oil in a deep, heavy-based casserole dish and brown the seasoned meat in small batches
- Remove to one side once it’s browned all over
- Lower the heat, add the onion and garlic to the pan with the remaining spices and cooking, stirring, until softened and lightly coloured
- Add the honey, saffron, stock, tomatoes and apricots, season and bring to the boil
- Return the meat to the pan, stir in and stick the lid on
- Cook in the oven for an hour
- Cut the preserved lemon in half and discard the interior pulp. Finely chop the skin and stir into the tagine with the chickpeas. Cook in the oven with the lid on for a further 30 mins
- (If you want to thicken the sauce, lift the meat out of the pan with a slotted spoon and put the pan back on the hob over over a high heat. Boil until thickened and reduced, then stir the meat back in)
- Check the seasoning and stir in the coriander and mint
- Serve with bread (ideally the flat white loaves served alongside all Moroccan dishes), rice or cous cous. Plus a spoonful of plain yogurt and a herby, lemony salad.
Sophie cooks 