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Made with our ‘Tagine Style Spice Blend’

Lamb Tagine with Apricots & Couscous

Serves 4

This dish is so simple to make and an explosion of flavour that never fails to amaze. One of those wonderful, slow cooking Moroccan delights that will fill any house with the exotic aromas of sun burned deserts and far away places.
Traditionally made with lamb, it is also possible to use beef and while it lacks a certain depth of flavour it is also very good. You can also make an excellent vegetarian version with eggplant, chickpeas and double portions of peppers and potatoes.

Ingredients tagine

3 tablespoons of Tagine Style Spice Blend
4 lamb shanks or alternatively 1 kg of lamb, cut roughly into cubes (usually I use leg or shoulder)
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup red bell pepper, diced
3 red onions, sliced
1 ½ tablespoons garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tomatoes, cubed
50 ml tomato puree
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 bay leaf
handful of dried apricots
2 tablespoons of raisins
4 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cubed (if you use sweet potatoes then don’t add any brown sugar)
1 ½ cups chicken stock
½ cup fresh cilantro (coriander leaves), chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation tagine

  1. Take the lamb out of the fridge 45 minutes before preparation, so that it can reach room temperature.
  2. Brown the lamb in olive oil, any thick bottomed pot that you can cover will do if you don’t have an original earthward tagine.
  3. Remove the lamb and add the onions, bell pepper, garlic, sugar and 3 tablespoons of our Tagine Style Spice Blend. Stir occasionally and cook until the onions start browning.
  4. Then add the tomato puree, sliced tomatoes, fresh lime juice, dried apricots, potatoes, bay leaf and the lamb. Mix well and pour in the chicken stock with a good pinch of salt and pepper.
  5. Turn down the heat to medium, cover the pot and leave to simmer for 2 hours. I like to gently stir every 30 minutes to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom.
  6. Once done, add salt to taste and garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with couscous.

Ingredients couscous

1 cup couscous
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro or chives, finely chopped
25 g of butter
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation couscous

  1. Bring 1 ½ cups of water to the boil. Add butter, salt and pepper.
  2. Remove from heat, pour in the dry couscous and stir briefly. Cover with a lid for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
  3. Move to a serving bowl and garnish with fresh cilantro or chives.
  4. Personally, I like to add some olive oil and our Almost Za’atar Spice Blend to the couscous, making a simple, yet unforgettable dish.