Lamb Tagine with Dates and Pinenuts
The sweet and sour, meaty flavours of a Tagine are delicious with the tang of cinnamon and the melt in your mouth slow cooked meat. Suitably served with cous cous or saffron rice or some Turkish flat breads.
Preparation time: 20 minutes Quantity: Serves 4 Cooking time: 2 hours or so
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
500g/ 1&1/4lb diced lamb - leg or shoulder
2 onions - chunky dice
2 cloves garlic - roughly chopped
2 cm grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
pinch saffron strands
300 ml/ 1/2 pint stock
100g / 4 oz dates - stoned and large chopped
1/2 lemon zest and juice
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons tomato puree
2 tablespoons pinenuts
Method
- Heat half the oil in a large pan
- Seal of the lamb till golden brown all over
spoon in to a Tagine pot or casserole dish
- Place the pan back on the heat with the rest of the oil
- Fry of the onion till soft without colour
- Add the garlic, ginger and all the spices
cook to release flavour
- Add the stock
- Mix and then pour over the lamb
- Cook covered in a preheated oven gas 6 -7 / 210*c / 420*f - for 1 & 1/2 hours or until the meat is tender
- Stir in the dates, lemon juice, zest, honey and the puree
- Place back in the oven uncovered for a further 20 minutes
- Towards the end of cooking grill or toss the pinenuts in a dry hot frying pan till golden
- Sprinkle on top of the Tagine before serving