Get Your Mojo in Morocco with Moroccan Tagine

There have been a lot of firsts in my kitchen lately, and this is just one of them. We are travelling to Spain, Portugal and Morocco in August, and whilst I am excited about the destinations, I am most excited about the food we will discover on our journey. So, in revving up for this adventure, my kitchen had a Moroccan theme tonight as I embarked on making my first tagine. A tagine is both an earthernware cooking pot from Morocco and also the name of the meal which is cooked in this pot. If you don't own a tagine, you can use a large casserole dish or crock pot with a lid, such as Le Creuset. The aromas of this dish are heavenly, and I especially love the bounty of harvest colours. The key to getting the most of your tagine is to cook on the lowest possible heat for an extended period of time. Not only will the flavours really come alive, but the meat will naturally tenderise and literally fall off the bone if you are using lamb cutlets or lamb shanks. Another perk of this dish is its ability to clean out your vegetable crisper in one foul swoop. As the world food situation is becoming more and more dire, it is a travesty to let good quality veg live out its life mouldering away in the fridge without being consumed. That being said, feel free to add additional vegetables to this dish such as celery or carrot.

Ingredients & Preparation:

8 lamb cutlets or 2-3 lamb shanks

1 red onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

5 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tsp tumeric

2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp ground black pepper

2 tsp salt

4 tbsp tagine spice mix (available from Herbies, this is a spice mix with the following ingredients: paprika, coriander seed, cassia, allspice, chilli, cloves, cardamom)

2 tbsp tomato paste

Juice of 2 oranges

6 dates, chopped

4 cups water

3 waxy potatoes, cubed (such as Desiree potatoes)

2 ripe tomatoes, cubed

1 red capsicum, cubed

Extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

Couscous to serve

Gently brown lamb in a non-stick pan using extra virgin olive oil. Transfer lamb into a large tagine or crock pot. Add all remaining ingredients except the red wine vinegar, and stir to combine the spices throughout the mixture. Ensure that all ingredients such as the lamb and vegetables are covered in liquid. Cook on low heat on a stove top or in a slow oven at 150 degrees Celsius for 3-4 hours until meat is very tender and falling off the bone. When ready, remove from heat and stir in the red wine vinegar. Serve with couscous.

Bon Appetit!