I was at our place in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago, and the big old Meyer lemon tree in the garden was heavy with ripe lemons –hundreds of them. When I headed back to New York, I stuffed as many as I could in my suitcase.
Whenever I have a bumper crop of lemons, I make preserved lemon, and this time was no exception. Originating in Morocco, preserved lemon has a mysterious, savory, spicy, almost winey flavor that gives simple dishes, such as braised chicken or lamb or grilled fish, extraordinary flavor and aroma. Making them is easy –you just pack the lemons in salt, spices and their own juice– and wait a month for them to cure. (For a recipe and full instructions for making preserved lemon, see my post here. Of course, you can make them with store-bought lemons as well.) For instant gratification, you can sometimes find preserved lemon at specialty food stores, and they’re always available at the great spice emporium Kalustyan’s, which has an amazingly well-stocked online store at www.kalustyans.com. (For more about Kalustyan’s, see my post here.)
Morocco was also on my mind because my partner and I are planning a short trip to Marrakech this Spring. (Our 17 month-old daughter Julia will stay at home and be spoiled by her grandmother.) Perusing guidebooks inspired me to make a tagine for dinner.
A tagine is a traditional Moroccan cooking vessel that gives its name to a whole family of braised dishes that involve combinations of poultry, fish or meat (usually chicken or lamb) with vegetables, olives, fruits and, of course, herbs and spices. (Tagines themselves are beautiful objects but unnecessary to making these dishes. A dutch oven or other large, heavy pot will work just as well.)
Traditional Clay Tagine
I have a recipe for a tagine of chicken, green olives and preserved lemon that I love and make often (see my post here), but I had never really settled on a recipe for lamb. I’m no expert on Moroccan cooking, but there seem to be two basic types of lamb tagine. One is sweet, stewing the lamb with dried apricots, prunes and sometimes even dates, and often quite a lot of honey. These are delicious but a little heavy for me, at least for every day. The other cooks the meat with preserved lemon, garlic, cumin, cilantro and sometimes olives. These are lighter, but these ingredients can sometimes bring out a strong, almost gamey flavor in the lamb that I don’t care for.
This recipe is my own interpolation. It’s probably not authentic, but I think it’s delicious. Prunes add depth and gentle sweetness, but there is no other fruit or sweetener (except for just a touch of honey), and the preserved lemon adds balance and brightness to the dish. Traditional spices –cumin, coriander, cinnamon, saffron– are present but quiet, keeping this tagine mellow and warming rather than spicy.
This dish is easy to make, but the total cooking time is two and a half to three hours (with about 45 mintues of active time), so it’s best for a weekend or an excellent dish to make ahead and keep in the refrigerator. It tastes even better the next day.
Recipe
(serves four to six people)
Ingredients
2 pounds of lamb stew meat, cut into 1 to 1/2 inch pieces
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced.
1 inch piece of fresh ginger (approximate), peeled and minced finely
1 teaspoon cumin seed
2 teaspoons coriander seed
1 2-inch cinnamon stick
1 generous pinch saffron
12 dried prunes
1-2 tablespoons honey (orange flower honey, if you have it)
1 bunch fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped Marcona or other toasted almonds
Instructions
1. About 30 minutes before you’re ready to cook, take the lamb out of the refrigerator, unwrap it and allow it to reach room temperature. For lamb stew, I prefer to use the leg. Traditionally, lamb stews are often made from the shoulder, but I find it a little fatty. When you buy stew meat, make sure that you see it before the butcher wraps it up. If it isn’t well trimmed of fat and connective tissue, you could end up with an additional preparation task that yields less meat than you need for the dish. A good butcher will cut up a boneless leg for you.
2. Preheat the oven to 300F.
3. Place the cumin and coriander in a small skillet over medium heat and roast them until they are fragrant and just begin to brown. Remove to a plate to cool and then grind them to a powder in a spice grinder. (Portable coffee grinders available for around $20 make good spice grinders — just don’t use them for coffee afterward.) Set aside.
4. Place the saffron in the pan and heat for a few seconds, just until it starts to darken. Remove to a plate to cool.
5. Remove the flesh from the preserved lemon and discard, wash the rind thoroughly in cold water and cut it into long thin slices. Then, cut these slices into confetti-like pieces.
6. In a dutch oven or other large heavy-bottomed pot, warm the butter and oil over medium high heat until the fat shimmers. Season the lamb chunks with salt and pepper and then brown on all sides. You will probably need to do this in two or there batches. Set aside.
7. Add the onion and ginger to the pot and cook until translucent and starting to brown. If the pot seems dry, add a splash of water. Scrape up all the lovely brown bits from the bottom of the pan– they’ll deepen the flavor of the dish.
8. Add the browned lamb back to the pot (together with any accumulated juices) and add the ground spices and the preserved lemon. Crush the toasted saffron between your fingertips and add it to the pot too. Fill with water to just cover the meat and then bring to the boil.
9. Cover tightly, place in the preheated oven and then cook for about two hours, or until the lamb is tender. (You should be able to cut it easily with a fork.)
10. When you put the pot in the oven, place the prunes in a small bowl and cover them with hot tap water.
11. Remove the pot from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 200F. With tongs or a slotted spoon, remove the meat from the sauce, place it in an ovenproof dish and return it to the oven.
12. Place the pot on the stove over medium high heat; drain and add the prunes and 1 tablespoon of the honey. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until the sauce is reduced by about a third and slightly thickened. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper and add and other 1 tablespoon of the honey, if desired.
13. Add the meat back to the pot and stir to coat with the sauce. Serve with plenty of roughly chopped fresh cilantro and almonds.
This dish could be served with couscous or rice, but I like it best with simple boiled potatoes and roasted carrots. It’s also wonderful with a thick slice of buttered toast. 
