You don’t actually need a cone-shaped tagine to get the full effect of this dish. In fact, the cooking process allows a lot of room for error and can even be prepared days in advance without losing any of the lamb’s juiciness, which makes it a great option for Rosh Hashanah because the warm spices of cinnamon and ginger, paired with sweet yams, are sure to invite a prosperous new year.
Lamb Tagine with Apricots and Prunes
March 23, 2021
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds lamb shoulder, trimmed of fat and cubed for stew (ask your butcher to do this and do not use lamb leg), or use 1 ½ lbs. of beef chuck, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1teaspoon dried ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- ½ nutmeg nugget, freshly ground using a microplane
- 25grinds of the pepper mill
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt*
- ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
- 8dried apricots, coarsely chopped
- 8pitted prunes, coarsely chopped
- 1large or 2 small yams (the orange ones), cut into 1 inch thick rounds, and then into half¬moons
- ¾ cup chicken broth or water
Preparation
- Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Step 2
Add all of the spices (ginger, cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, pepper and salt) plus the ¼ cup olive oil into a bowl and mix in the meat to coat.
- Step 3
Heat a dutch oven or oven-safe pan (use one that has a lid) over a medium-high flame. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and the onions and saute until translucent.
- Step 4
Add the meat and cook until browned (about 8 minutes).
- Step 5
Throw in the apricots, prunes and yams. Add broth or water.
- Step 6
Cover with a piece of aluminum foil and then lid. Place in oven for 1 ½ – 2 hours, or until fork tender.
- Step 7
Skim off any fat. You can do this by letting it cool or even placing the the dish in fridge overnight. This stew is great the next day reheated.
Note: If using kosher meat, reduce salt to 3/4 teaspoon