In support of the Moroccan protests, my friend Katie and I made Lamb Tagine. Actually, my dear old Dad had cut this recipe out of the WSJ and gave it to me. Our timing with making it just happened to coincide with the madness. In any case, this is a dish that requires two days of preparation, a considerable variety of spices....and is WELL worth the effort!
The first day is the prep work and cooking of the dish. After a sleepover in your fridge, all that has to be done on day two is a slow re-heat. The result is falling-off-the-bone lamb in a rich, sweet sauce. Apricots, prunes and buttery onions offer a decadent base, fresh ginger, garlic and cayenne pepper give it some heat, while coriander, cumin and cinnamon give it a tantalizing & exotic warmth.
We served it with mashed sweet potatoes (seasoned with ginger, cumin, butter & brown sugar) and chickpea-couscous (turmeric, cumin, nutmeg, carrots, mint). For a topping, I fried some almonds and also some mint for its pretty green color. As for wine pairings, we chose some equally spicy, warm reds: Bogle Phantom (Petite Syrah, Old Vine Zin & Old Vine Mourvedre blend) and Valpolicella by Solane.
Let's just say that everyone was a member of the clean plate club. Do yourself (and friends) a favor and host a Tagine Tuesday dinner party!
NOTE: recipe calls for golden raisins, but the apricots we used instead were delectable. I can't see how raisins would be better....then again I really dislike raisins....
Also, we probably spent 40% of a typical Whole Foods or Westborn grocery bill by shopping at small independent markets. The lamb was from Hoff's in Warren, and most everything else was from Dijla (12 & John R). They're a very modest Middle-Eastern market and have a great selection of high-quality dried fruits, nuts and "staple" vegetables.
Lamb and seasonings in the pot before the stew....
