Lamb Tagine With Apricots, Olives and Buttered Almonds
5.0(408)
A warming one-pot meal, this Melissa Clark recipe, recalls the finest of Moroccan tagines. It pulls the best from various tagine recipes — cinnamon sticks and green olives, lemon and saffron, and dried apricots. Done in two hours, it might not be a dish for a busy weeknight, but a leisurely one, requiring a good amount of comfort.
Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, MoroccanDinner, Tagine, Main Course
Servings
6
6 servings
Total time
2h
Calories / serving
1108 kcal
02Thinly slice onions, then mince enough of them to yield 1/2 cup. Add minced onion to pot with lamb; reserve onion slices.
03Place pot over high heat and let cook, turning meat on all sides, until spices release their scent, about 3 minutes. You need not brown meat. Add 3 cups water to pot (it should come 3/4 of the way up lamb), along with cinnamon and saffron. Bring to a simmer, then cover pot and transfer to oven. Let braise for 45 minutes.
04Turn meat, then top with onion slices. Cover pot and braise for another 45 minutes to an hour, or until lamb is very tender. Use a slotted spoon to transfer meat to a bowl, leaving broth and onions in pot.
05Place pot on stove over high heat and add 3/4 cup apricots and the olives. Simmer broth until it reduces by a third and thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Return lamb to pot and keep warm until serving. (Tagine can be prepared 4 days ahead; chill, then remove fat and reheat before serving.)
06To serve, chop remaining 1/2 cup apricot slices. In a small skillet, melt butter. Add almonds and cook until well browned and toasted, about 2 minutes. Put couscous in a serving bowl and top with almonds and butter and chopped apricots. Pile tagine in center of couscous and garnish with herbs.