LambTagine: Tayin de Cordero

Again with the lamb you might say. I promise, it's really very tasty when it's good lamb and properly cooked. Not the same old nearly nonexistent taste of the meat you have everyday.

But this recipe has a load of pleasing spices in it so the unfamiliar taste of lamb is not the most prominent. It used part # 3 (see diagram) of the lamb and a load of cinnamon.

A tagine (or tajine or tayin) is a Moroccan stew. In this case with dried fruits in it (besides the cinnamon). And a little tumeric and saffron for colour and flavour.

Special purchases: ground turmeric, saffron, cinnamon sticks & dried figs, prunes and apricots.

What I actually did was…

Ingredients

• 1,7 kg Leg of Lamb [4#] - whole, bone in, chopped into 100gr (large) pieces [1½" cubes]
  
  
• 25 gr saffron [0.75 oz]
  
• 1 litre H2O [1 quart water]
  
  
• ½ t turmeric
• 1 t cinnamon, ground
• ½ t white pepper, ground
• 1 t salt
  
  
• 2 onions, medium
  
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 C water
• ½ C olive oil
• 50 gr butter [2 oz]
  
  
• 150 gr dried apricots
• 150 gr dried prunes
• 150 gr dried figs
• 4 cinnamon sticks, whole
  

Procedure

1. Put the saffron in the 1 liter [quart] of water in the big pot you'll use for cooking this dish and set aside
   
2. Mix the spices together (turmuric, cinnamon, salt pepper)
• rub into the meat
3. Brunoisse [chop] the onions and smash the garlic; toss in to the pot of water with saffron
   
4. Add the meat to the pot
• Add the olive oil, butter and the extra cup of water too
• Use medium heat to simmer briskly
  
5. Cover and cook for 30 minutes [½ hour]
6. Put the dried fruits into a bowl; take some of the cooking liquid and cover the fruits to rehydrate them
• Toss the cinnamon sticks into the bowl (so you don't forget them later)
• Set aside to soak the next round of cooking
7. Stir, cover the dish again and cook another 30 minutes
8. Uncover the cooking meat
• If there's a lot of fats floating on the surface skim a bunch of it off (but not all, because fat = flavour)
9. Add the fruits and cinnamon sticks with the liquid to the meat
• Stir
10. Check the salt (it probably needs another ½ tsp)
11. Cook, uncovered, simmering nicely, for another 30 minutes
12. Have a glass of white wine while you wait
13. After this 1½ hours of cooking the meat might be tender; or maybe not
• Continue simmering briskly until the meat is tender and the liquid is ½ reduced (starting to thicken and cling to the meat & fruit)
14. Check the salt (it's probably okay at this point)
15. Serve it up

Keeps & reheats well.

Serves: 6 Time: 2 hours (elapsed)

The picture will be along shortly