This spicy, aromatic lamb stew is inspired by a traditional Moroccan meat-and-vegetable tagine called mrouzia, a sweet and rich celebratory stew that is prepared in the days following Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice, and sweetened with raisins, honey and spice.
In this stew recipe, the sweetness is scaled back, and tomato and carrots are added for a balance of acidity and brightness. The raisins are replaced by dried apricots, which are earthy, less sweet and provide a pleasant tartness. The spice list is an extreme abbreviation of ras el hanout, which is a North African staple blend comprising a lengthy list of spices — upward of 20! This recipe features a short list that shouldn’t tax your spice cabinet and will drive in fragrance and flavor without sending you on a shopping expedition.
Prepare and serve this stew in the same day, or, better yet, let it sit in the refrigerator overnight to improve its flavor.
Moroccan Lamb Stew
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 1/2 pounds boneless lamb leg, cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch chunks
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh peeled ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1 (28-ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes
- 2 cups chicken stock, or more as needed
- 10 to 12 dried apricots, halved if large
- 1 (2-inch) cinnamon stick
- 1 tablespoon harissa paste
- 2 to 3 carrots, thickly sliced
- 1 tablespoon honey or light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish
- Chopped red chiles for garnish, optional
DIRECTIONS:
- Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Evenly season the lamb with salt and black pepper.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven or ovenproof pot with lid over medium-high heat. Add the lamb in batches, without overcrowding, and brown on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the lamb to a plate or bowl and repeat with the remaining lamb.
- Pour off the fat from the pan. Add 1 tablespoon oil and the onion to the same pot. Saute over medium heat until the onion softens, about 2 minutes, stirring up the brown bits. Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, paprika and allspice and stir and toast until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes, 2 cups chicken stock, apricots, cinnamon stick, harissa paste, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
- Return the lamb to the pot with any collected juices. (The lamb should be submerged in the liquid. Add more chicken stock to cover, if necessary.)
- Bring to a simmer, then cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook until the lamb is tender, about 2 hours, stirring once or twice.
- While the lamb is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet. Add the carrots and cook until crisp-tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
- When the lamb is ready, transfer the pot to the stovetop and stir in the carrots. Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat until the carrots are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the honey and cilantro and taste for seasoning. If more heat is desired, add additional harissa.
- Ladle into bowls and garnish with chiles and additional cilantro.
Lynda Balslev is an award-winning writer, cookbook author and recipe developer, and authors the blog TasteFood, More recipes can be found at chicago.suntimes.com/taste.
