Harissa Lamb Tagine with Apricots and Pistachio Salsa

From the land of the souks and hot Sahara sands, comes the tagine, a traditional Berber dish, with succulent, slow cooked meat imbued with sweet and savoury nuances. My Harissa Lamb Tagine is slow cooked to perfection in Le Creuset’s iconic flame tagine. Served with a lemony Pistachio Salsa, it’s a sumptuous  exploration of Moroccan opulence and tradition.

The word ‘tagine’ refers to both the conical shaped vessel and the aromatically spiced stew that it’s cooked in. Typically, tagines are served at the centre of the table, accompanied by an array of side dishes. Warm flatbreads,  fresh herby salads and natural yoghurt, to counter the earthy spices and off-set the fattiness of the meat.

For the recipe, I’ve used lamb knuckles, although beef or chicken would work equally well. Bone-in meat renders a gelatinous flavour that’s impossible to beat. Fat denotes flavour so don’t be too fastidious when  trimming the lamb. Any excess rendered oils can be skimmed off at the end of the cooking time. If you opt for beef, bone-in shin is a good choice. It requires a similar cooking time to lamb.

The Flavour Base for Lamb Tagine

Like with most Middle Eastern stews and casseroles, a tagine starts off with onion, garlic and ginger. From there, we’re adding cumin, coriander, paprika, cardamom and my all time favourite flavour paste, Harissa. Once the onions are collapsed and sticky, the remaining ingredients are mix through and the the lid goes on. Then, it’s into the oven for several hours until the lamb is meltingly tender.  You can of course cook the tagine on the stove top, although I prefer the oven for even cooking. After the allotted cooking time, the sauce should be thickened and reduced, ideal for mopping up with warm flatbread.

Harissa Lamb Tagine with Apricots and Lemony Pistachio Salsa (Serves 6)

45 ml (3 tablespoons) olive oil
2 kg lamb knuckles, trimmed
1 large brown onion, finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
15 ml (1 tablespoon) freshly grated ginger
12.5 ml (2 ½ teaspoons) ground cumin
7.5 ml (1½ teaspoons) ground coriander
5 ml (1 teaspoon) paprika
6 cardamom pods, crushed and ground
45 ml Harissa paste
30 ml (2 tablespoons) tomato paste
2 x 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock
250 – 300 ml water
2 cinnamon sticks
100 g Turkish apricots
10 ml (2 teaspoons) lemon juice
salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Pistachio & Preserved Lemon Salsa

 50 g pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped
15 ml preserved lemon peel, finely diced
a handful each of, flat leaf parsley and mint, finely chopped
60 ml extra virgin olive oil
15 ml honey
45 ml lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Let’s make the Harissa Lamb Tagine

Season the lamb well on both sides with salt and black pepper.

Heat 15 ml olive oil in a Le Creuset Tagine. Working in batches, brown the meat on both sides until golden, then remove to a plate.

If needed, add a little more oil to the tagine and sauté the onion until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute or two.

Add the cumin, coriander, paprika, cardamom, harissa and tomato paste. Cook the spice paste for 2 minutes before adding the chopped tomatoes, stock, water and cinnamon sticks.

Return the lamb to the pot, submerging the meat in the liquid. Cover the tagine with the conical lid and cook in the oven for 2 hours.

Add the apricots, cover and cook for a further 60-90 minutes, until the lamb is spoon tender. Stir through the lemon juice.

For the salsa, combine all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Season to taste.

Serve with a herby bulgur wheat salad and pistachio salsa.