Inspired tagine developed following a trip to Marrakech
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 onions chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- pepper ground
- 6 lamb shank
- 1/2 teaspoon saffron dissolved in boiling water
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin mortar & pestle
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander mortar & pestle
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg grated
- 5 cloves
- 200 g green or black olives
- almonds blanched
- preserved lemon
- beef stock to cover
- 50 ml red wine vinegar
- 500 g dried apricots & figs (or prunes)
- sea salt ground
- fresh parsley chopped
- 400 g chick peas
- Carbohydrate 25.8879371044675 g
- Cholesterol 366.610588235294 mg
- Fat 42.1380099509804 g
- Fiber 6.1911584618489 g
- Protein 30.4947369838863 g
- Saturated Fat 20.567677004902 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (453g)
- Sodium 311.041122267447 mg
- Sugar 19.6967786426186 g
- Trans Fat 4.72399873529413 g
- Calories 606 calories
Step-by-step
- Soak Tagine pot in water for 30 mins and bring oven to temperature - 180C. Brown lamb in frying pan and then put to oneside. Then brown onion in same pan towards end add garlic, cumin, coriander and cloves.
- Put Onion mix in bottom of Tagine pot place lamb on top. Then cover lamb with remaining spices and grated pepper.
- Add apricots, figs, almonds, chick peas and preserved lemon. Mix in.
- Add vinegar. Pour hot stock until most ingredients are covered.
- Place in oven for 1 hour then turn over lamb and add stock if required.
- Check stock levels but don't over do it only add if getting dry. If need be turn oven down towards the end. About 2.5-3 hours in the oven. Its cooked after 1.5 hours but will be more tender if in longer.
- Add salt and parsley at the end before serving - which os best done in Tagine pot on the table.
Pot Hydration and Thermal Shock
Soaking an unglazed earthenware tagine vessel in cool water for thirty minutes prevents cracking when it meets a 180 degrees Celsius oven. Water penetrates the porous clay, creating a barrier that circulates steam throughout the lengthy braise while protecting the material from thermal shock. Unglazed clay breathes differently than metal Dutch ovens, gently modulating temperature fluctuations as the connective tissue in the shanks slowly breaks down over two and a half to three hours.Accompaniments and Acid Balance
Rich cuts like lamb shanks require sharp, high-acid counterpoints to cut through rendered fats and concentrated fruit sugars. Steamed couscous or crusty semolina bread acts as a neutral starch foundation designed to absorb the saffron-infused beef stock and red wine vinegar reduction without competing with the spices. Scatter blanched almonds and chopped fresh parsley over the surface just before serving to introduce essential crunch and herbaceous brightness against the meltingly tender fruit and meat.Sequencing the Braise
Managing moisture levels requires vigilance during the initial ninety minutes of baking before the meat reaches safe tenderness thresholds. Check the vessel halfway through the cooking time to ensure the liquid level sits just below the surface of the ingredients without drowning them. Turning the shanks over ensures even heat distribution, while delaying the addition of salt until the final minutes prevents the exterior muscle fibers from tightening prematurely in a saline solution.
