Ingredients
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- 2 1/4 lbs. lamb stew, cut into 2" or 3" pieces
- 2 medium onions, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 small piece (2") cinnamon stick
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon Ras El Hanout
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon smen fermented butter (or use a combined mix of 3 parts softened butter to 1 part room-temp Stilton cheese)
- 3 cups lamb stock (preferred) or chicken stock
- 1 small bunch of cilantro, tied into a knot
- 2 1/2 lbs. peeled, cored and sliced quinces (or if unavaialbe, use slightly under-ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and poached in Earl Grey tea with a bit of lemon juice, rosewater and a few drops of red food coloring)
- ***
- For the sauce:
- 3 to 4 Tbsp. poaching liquid from the quinces
- 1 small preserved lemon, flesh removed and rind finely-diced, reserve juices from cutting
- 3 to 4 Tbsp. broth from the meat
- 3 Tbsp. butter
- 2 Tbsp. membrillo paste
- 2 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. sugar
- 1/2 tsp. freshly-ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt (optional)
- ***
- Garnish:
- 1/4 cup Marcona almonds, lightly toasted in a dry frying pan
Instructions
- Set the saffron and cilantro aside.
- Combine butter and oil in a large flameproof casserole. Fry the lamb in 2 batches until browned all over, then lift onto a plate. Add the smen and onions to the pan and fry over a medium heat until soft and browned. Add the spices, garlic and ginger and simmer for 2-3 minutes, then return the lamb to the casserole and add the stock, ½ tsp. salt and the pepper. Partly-cover, then simmer for 90 minutes, until the lamb is tender and the sauce has reduced a little more. In the last 30 minutes, add in the saffron and cilantro.
- Meanwhile put 1 liter cold water, the quinces (but not the pears if you’re using them, as they are already poached) and the preserved lemon rind and juice in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat and cook for 10-15 minutes until just tender when pierced with the tip of a knife.
- Drain well and transfer to a deep frying pan or sauté pan. Add the remaining sauce ingredients, cook over medium-high heat until the juices are sticky and reduced and the quinces are tender.
- Melt a knob of butter in a separate pan and fry the almonds in it for 1 minute. Reserve.
- Discard the cilantro from the tagine. Place the meat and sauce on a serving platter. Arrange the quinces all around, spooning the syrup over the meat and fruit. Add the almonds and serve tagine with Moroccan bread or another crusty bread for scooping everything up.
- Alternatively, to prepare the dish in a traditional tagine, slice one of the onions instead of chopping it; do not separate the rings of onion. Arrange the onion slices on the bottom of a tagine and scatter the chopped onion over them.
- Arrange the meat on the onions then add the oil, butter, seasoning, cilantro and 3 cups of stock. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, using a diffuser under a clay or ceramic tagine if your heat source is something other than gas.
- Cook the tagine until the meat is tender and the liquids are reduced, at least two and three hours, sometimes longer. Add more stock or water during the cooking if you feel too much has evaporated.
- Garnish as above with quinces and almonds and serve directly from the tagine itself at the table.
- Prep Time: 0 hours
- Cook Time: 0 hours
- Category: Recipes