Lamb Tagine with Dates, Almonds and Pistachios

I first discovered tagines last year when I was on the search for rich, winter comfort food. I found a lamb tagine that warmed your whole body, and paired perfectly with a glass of full-bodied red wine. I knew Moroccans were on to something…

A tagine is a spicy, rich stew from northern Africa. The name tagine is also given to the vessel it is cooked in – a shallow, round pot with a unique conical lid designed to lock in moisture and flavors, cooking the food gently in a small amount of liquid. My first few tangines I used my go to – my dutch oven. But as my love for the rich dish grew, I realized I needed to do it right. So, I bought a tagine at Sur la Table. And, of course, I couldn’t buy the tagine without a Tagine cookbook as well.

Although the tagine is big, bulky, and really doesn’t have a convenient storage location, it is well worth the purchase. The meat, when cooked in this vessel, is so tender and moist – despite being on a stove for so long (a testament to the cone-shaped lid). This particular tagine was my first in the authentic cookware and has a wonderful sweetness from the dates.

So, if you have a few hours to cook on a Sunday night (keep in mind about 2 hours is completely inactive cooking time), I would give this tagine a try. Cook it in any pot you use for long cooking, but if you get hooked on tagines like me, it is well worth the investment of an actual tagine. Plus, it is just plain cool to look at!

Thanks to Tagine: Spicy Stews from Morocco by Ghillie Basan for this fantastic recipe!

LAMB TAGINE WITH DATES ALMONDS AND PISTACHIOS
Serves 4

2-3 tablespoons ghee (or olive oil plus a pat of butter)
2 onions, finely chopped (I just used one)
1-2 teaspoons ground tumeric
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 1/4 lb lean lamb, from the shoulder, neck or leg, cut into bite-size pieces
8 oz moist, ready to eat, pitted dates
1 tablespoon honey
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
a pat of butter
2-3 tablespoons blanched almonds
2 tablespoons shelled pistachios
a small bunch of flatleaf parsley, finely chopped

Heat the ghee in a tagine or heavy-based casserole dish. Stir in the onions and saute until golden brown. Stir in the tumeric, ginger and cinnamon. Toss in the meat, making sure it is coated in the spice mixture. Pour in enough water to almost cover the meat and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover with a lid and simmer gently for roughly 1.5 hours.

Add the dates and stir in the honey. Cover with the lid again and simmer for another 30 minutes. Season with salt and lots of black pepper.

Heat the olive oil with the butter in a small pan. Stir in the almonds and pistachios and cook until they begin to turn golden brown. Scatter the nuts over the lamb and dates and sprinkle with the flatleaf parsley. Service with buttery couscous.

Lamb and Chickpea Tagine

So far to date, I have only made one recipe with lamb. I know, it is obvious that it scares me a bit – especially since the only recipe I have used lamb in is pastitio (using only ground lamb). But, I thought I would continue to ease into the meat, and try a lamb stew.

Previously I blogged about a Moroccan stew that is one of our winter favorites. This one looked a bit similar, but had lamb, a few different spices and the addition of honey. It was a cold winter night (hopefully one of our last) so I gave it a try.

The stew is so hearty and warming, it makes you feel cozy inside – the cilantro is a bright addition to the heavy dish and the pistachios (although I originally I thought were odd) gave a great flavor and crunch. I served it over couscous in true African tradition, but you could certainly serve without.

I got this recipe from Cooking Light and it came with a wine pairing so I thought I would try the two together. I was happy when I found the wine at my local Biggs and on sale for $20. It is a Rodney Strong 2007 “Knotty Vines” Zin from Sonoma County. If you can find it, I would recommend it with the tagine – it has a deep fruit flavor that complements the sweet and spicy nature of the dish.

SPECIAL NOTE: “Tagine” is named after the pot in which the stews are cooked in Northern Africa. It is truly unique – like a Dutch oven but with a cone-shaped lid. Most of us don’t have one, so a Dutch oven works perfectly!

LAMB AND CHICKPEA TAGINE
4 Servings

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound lamb stew meat
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons honey
2 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1/3 cup chopped pistachios
2 tablespoons small fresh cilantro leaves

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add lamb; sauté 4 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove lamb with a slotted spoon. Add onion, salt, pepper, and cumin to pan; sauté 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Return lamb to pan; stir in tomato paste and honey. Cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add broth, raisins, and chickpeas; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium, and cook 50 minutes or until lamb is tender, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with pistachios and cilantro.

Moroccan Stew

So, I will start this post by saying that I went to Williams Sonoma with my friend Emily this morning for one of their free cooking classes. It was all things chocolate – just in time for Valentine’s Day – and although we had to stand for an hour, I recommend you check out their schedule. People were of varying levels, some barely knew the difference between milk chocolate and semi-sweet and others probably have cocoa trees growing in their backyard! I learned lots about the processing of chocolate, which chocolates goes best with which wines, etc. And, best of all, we got to taste test!

The recipe I will share with you today is one of my favorites for a cold winter’s night. Yes, it requires a slow cooker, but I do about 30 minutes of cooking about 2/3pm and don’t have to touch it again until dinner time – perfect for a Sunday. It is a traditional African stew with chicken, garbanzo beans and lots of veggies, although you could certainly mix up the meat and even some veggies to your own taste. I got it from a cookbook my grandma gave me, modified after making it many times.

TRADITIONAL AFRICAN STEW – makes enough for 4
1 onion, sliced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1.5 pounds boneless chicken breast, cut into small pieces
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 potato, peeled and diced
2 zucchini, sliced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon powdered tumeric
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnimon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons raisins
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Saute onions, ginger and garlic in medium large skillet over medium-high heat in 1 tablespoon olive oil until limp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a slow cooker. Add 1 additional tablespoon olive oil to skillet and brown chicken on both sides.
While chicken is browning, add carrots, potato and zucchini to slow cooker. Place browned chicken on top of vegetables.
In a small bowl, mix together the cumin, tumeric, salt, pepper, cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Sprinkle over chicken. Top chicken pieces with raisins and tomatoes. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours then keep warm until service. Add garbanzo beans and cilantro for 30 minutes before service.
Serve alone as a stew or on top of couscous.