Savory Lamb Tagine

Preheat the oven for 325⁰

Meat and Marinade:

• 2.5 – 3 lbs. lamb shoulder, cubed about 1.5 inches
• Allow the meat to marinate in the following dry marinade for 30 minutes
• Combine in a large bowl, and then coat the meat with:
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1tsp ground coriander
  • 1Tbs freshly grated ginger (root), pealed
  • 1Tbs all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp ground pepper

Spice Blend:

• Combine in a small bowl:
  • One 2 inch cinnamon stick
  • 1 tsp cardamom seeds
  • 2 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • ½ tsp fenugreek/methi seeds
  • 1 tsp crushed red chilies
• Roast in a hot skillet for 45 seconds
• Then, mill in a spice grinder

In a medium large Dutch oven, preheat on medium high heat:

• 1 tbs olive oil;

Add:

• the marinated meat, brown, one batch at a time; set aside
• add 1.5 to 2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced, 1 fennel bulb, sliced, 4-5 bunch carrots, diced;
• sauté until softened

Add:

• 4-5 large garlic cloves; minced or pressed through a garlic press
• ½ cup dried plums/pitted prunes (quartered)
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries (pomegranate juice infused)
• 1tbs dried cherries
• 4 oz sliced almonds
• 2tbs of the spice blend, 1 tsp turmeric, ½ of the charnushka/kalangi

Return the meat to the Dutch oven

Mix in:

• 14 oz of canned crushed tomatoes (no additives)
• Stir and cook for a few minutes

Transfer into a cooking tagine; or leave in the Dutch oven*, cover

• place in an oven on lowest rack on a backing sheet (with rims) so in case of any spills the liquid is captured in the sheet and doesn’t drip onto the bottom of the oven
• add 2 cups beef vegetable stock (home made with beef bones, onions, celery stalks and carrots)

*it is most likely that your tagine will not hold the entire meat mixture; leave the remainder in the Dutch oven; always leave margin for the excess liquid witch will evaporate during coking

Cooking process:

• transfer into a cooking tagine or leave in the Dutch oven, cover
• place in an oven on lowest rack on a backing sheet (with rims) so in case of any spills the liquid is captured in the sheet and doesn’t drip onto the bottom of the oven
• bake at 325⁰ for roughly 90 minutes to 2 hours (depends on your oven)

Enjoy!