This Comforting Moroccan Tagine Is Our Editors’ Favourite Treatment for the Winter Blues

Historically ready for celebrations and gatherings, this lamb and prune tagine is beloved all through Morocco. It showcases a steadiness of savory and candy flavors by combining tender lamb with succulent prunes and a mix of fragrant spices for a deeply comforting stew. Whereas this basic dish is commonly reserved for particular events in Morocco, my lamb and prune tagine recipe requires minimal effort, and is a good way to convey Moroccan flavors to the desk any night time of the week.

What Is a Tagine?

The phrase “tagine” in Morocco refers to each an earthenware pot with a conical lid in addition to the dish ready inside the pot—a meal that has turn into one of the crucial emblematic of all Moroccan dishes. A whole bunch of years in the past, North African nomads used tagines as a transportable ovens, enabling them to cook dinner any time whereas on the transfer. 

The bottom of a conventional tagine is vast and shallow, with a conical lid that sits on the bottom. Collectively, the 2 parts represent a type of clay oven that’s positioned on a low flame for cooking. Whereas the meals slowly cooks, steam rises into the cone, condenses, then drips again down into the dish, holding the substances always basted, which produces moist and tender outcomes. This cooking course of and the ensuing meal are similar to stew and braises.

At present, good tagines are available many alternative types. There are the standard clay tagines, however there are additionally forged iron tagines generally bought at cookware shops that match the type of the unique if not the fabric. The fabric from which a tagine is made makes a an enormous distinction in how the substances inside cook dinner, which makes it troublesome to write down a recipe that works throughout all codecs. For instance, a dish’s cooking time can differ quite a bit relying on the kind of tagine used: A correct old style clay tagine will lead to a considerably longer cooking time, whereas a cast-iron pot within the form of a tagine will take only a contact longer than a daily pot. This might additionally clarify why these days even many in Morocco put together their tagines in different cooking vessels, together with casseroles, Dutch ovens, and even strain cookers.

I’ve written my recipe beneath for a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot. If you’re utilizing a extra conventional clay or forged iron tagine, the cooking occasions must be prolonged to make sure the meat is correctly cooked.

The best way to Guarantee a Completely Cooked Lamb and Prune Tagine

Whereas this lamb tagine does require a number of hours to simmer till tender, its preparation is pretty simple: Onions are slowly cooked till velvety and translucent with floor ginger, floor turmeric, and floor coriander—a mix of fragrant spices utilized in a lot of Moroccan delicacies. Then chunks of lamb, inventory, and a bundle of cilantro are added and slowly simmered till the lamb is spoon tender and enveloped in a wealthy sauce. 

Whereas browning meat firstly of a braise is frequent in French and American-style stews and braises, in conventional Moroccan tagine preparation the meat is often not seared—I’ve saved true to the Moroccan method and skip browning the meat right here. Nonetheless, if desired, you’ll be able to brown the lamb in olive oil earlier than sautéeing the onions.

I’d argue that a very powerful ingredient on this recipe is time. Making a fantastic tagine means giving the spices sufficient time to slowly steep and meld, which enriches their taste. The longer a tagine cooks, the extra advanced it should style as soon as completed.

Whereas the lamb wants a number of hours to cook dinner, the prunes are finest simmered for only some minutes. They’re blended with honey and spices, and simmered in inventory or broth till plump, then spooned over the lamb proper earlier than serving. Cooking the prunes individually ensures they keep their form. The prunes are spooned over the lamb, which creates a phenomenal presentation and ensures that every spoonful may have the distinct texture of the lamb and prunes.

In Morocco, tagines like this are sometimes served with bread, which is ideal for scooping up the flavorful sauce. Nonetheless, this dish can be loved with couscous and even rice, which additionally work fantastically to absorb the wealthy sauce.

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