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lamb-tagine

My favorite kind of meat to slow cook is definitely lamb. A pull-apart tender lamb shank or shoulder is just divine. Perhaps my favorite way to enjoy that is in a tagine. Tagines are a class of dishes from Morocco, given their name by the special vessel they're cooked in: the tagine. There's no one specific recipe for these dishes; it's simply a description of the method behind the dish. These dishes generally will include a protein like chicken, lamb, or even meatballs, cooked with lots of onion, garlic, ginger, spices, and herbs. The main spice used in a Moroccan tagine is ras el hanout, translated to "top of the shelf". This refers to the proprietary blend sold by spice shops, each different in its own way. Some ras el hanout variations can have as few as 6 spices, while others can have up to 25! I'll share the blend I used below, but feel free to just buy it from the store. Your version of the dish might come out slightly different from mine, though, but it will be equally delicious. This is my take on a lamb tagine, here are a few notes: you don’t need a tagine to make this. But, what makes it so useful is that it allows you to make the dish with less liquid, leaving you a more concentrated and flavorful sauce. As the steam rises in the tall, cone shaped lid, it will cool and condensate back into the dish. If you make this without a tagine, add a bit extra liquid. Searing the meat like that is not traditionally done. To save some time, you can add a layer of fat to the bottom of the pan, followed by a layer of the onions & spice, then the meat on top. Pour in the stock and simmer for two hours or until the meat is pull apart tender!

Ingredients