Lamb tagine
This tagine is sensational. Slow cooked lamb is served with saffron flavoured couscous and a fabulous Moroccan-style gremolata of macadamias, preserved lemon and mint.
Ingredients:
Lamb marinade
- 1 large purple onion, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 whole bunch coriander, roots removed, rinsed
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
Tagine
- 1.5kg diced leg or shoulder lamb pieces
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 can tomatoes
- 600ml water
- 1 cinnamon quill
- 8 dates, seeds removed
- ½ cup pitted green olives
- pinch of saffron
- 2 cups couscous
- 30g butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
Macadamia gremolata
- ¼ cup chopped preserved lemon
- 1 cup macadamias, finely chopped and roasted
- ¼ cup loosely packed mint leaves
Method:
1. To make the lamb marinade, place onion, garlic, coriander leaves and spices in the bowl of a food processor and process to form a paste.
2. Place the lamb in a non-corrosive bowl. Spread the marinade over the lamb, cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 3 hours.
3. To make the lamb tagine, preheat oven to 150°C. Heat the oil over high heat in the base of a large casserole dish that has a lid. Add the lamb, and brown on each side. Reduce heat to medium and add the tomato paste, canned tomatoes, water and cinnamon. Bring the mixture to a steady simmer, cover with the lid, place in the oven and cook for 1¼ hours. Add the dates and olives and cook for a further 30 minutes.
4. When almost ready to serve, place the saffron in a small bowl and pour over 2 tablespoons boiling water. Allow to stand for 15 minutes.
5. Place the couscous in a separate bowl with the butter and salt. Pour over 2 cups of boiling water, add the soaked saffron with its water and cover immediately. Stand for at least 10 minutes before removing the cover and fluffing with a fork.
6. To make the macadamia gremolata, combine all ingredients and sprinkle generously over the lamb.
Recipe courtesy of Australian Macadamias.