Tangier: Lamb Tagine, Dates & Ginger

[Margi Cintrano]

The medina, or old historic district of Tétouan, a 90 minute trip southeast, resembles Granada, Spain and one can see from the ancient city walls, the breathtakingly beautiful beaches ... Lamb with dried fruits and spices and vegetable tagines are very common ... The Moorish and Arabic influence, for a penchant to serve meat with dried fruits and fresh fruit is very common in Spain, The Iberian Peninsula, Italia and Morocco.

Here is a lovely recipe for 4:

2 tblsps olive oil extra virgin
3 pounds of boneless lamb ( have butcher prepare for stew )
5 tblsp fresh minced parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp ground cinammon
a bunch of fresh Mint leaves minced
2 tsp fresh peeled and grate ginger
1/2 tblsp saffron threads
1/2 cup mineral water
salt and black pepper
3 pinches of tumeric
a few figs sliced finely
8 ounces of dates
2 tblsp honey
2 tblsp slithered almonds toasted
Smoked paprika 1 tblsp
10 ounces of shallots peeled and minced
3 large garlic cloves minced

1) Marinate the lamb stew in: CHARMOLA ( paprika smoked, tumeric, saffron, garlic minced, ginger and mint - 2 hours in refrig. )
2) The Tagine: place 3 tblsps of olive oil extra virgin on bottom of earthenware tagine
3) place a batch of lamb on 1st layer and season with the variety of herbs and shallot and garlic and dried fruit sliced finely
4) repeat process until you have layered with all the lamb
5) Season well the top layer with mint, ginger, herbs and salt and pepper
6) *** reserve some dates and almonds for garnish
7) The sauce: simmer honey, water, minced dates, minced figs in a sauce pan
8) Pour the sauce over the lamb and cover tagine
9) bake until tender on 350 farenheit - 1 hour or so
10) make extra sauce to use in sauce boat at table

*** The Fish and Shrimp Tagine is located under: Kathleen´s post
called: Tagine

Kindly.
Margi. Cintrano.

 

[Kathleen]

Mmmm.....Honey, almonds and ginger with lamb!

 

[Margi Cintrano]

@ Kathleen: Thank you for your message

Thanks again, it is a very lovely dish ...
Margi.

 

[Soma]

Mmmm, my mouth waters as my eyes read this....sounds so good. Thanks.

One problem: I don't eat lamb (reason: there is a lamb farm just down the road from me, and each spring and fall, I listen to the mother lambs and baby lambs bawling as they are separated into different barns overnight, awaiting the slaughter truck to come in the morning and take the little ones. ) This is so very heartbreaking to me (slaughtering the innocents, just for the sake of some gourmande appetites) that I vowed 10 years ago not to eat lamb ever again. Chicken I don't mind, cuz they are so plentiful, and don't have cute faces like lambs do.
So I might try this as a vegetarian dish, or with chicken.

 

[Margi Cintrano]

It could work with Chicken or Beef etc.

I believe this recipe would work very well with chicken quite well -- ( or veal or beef ... or even pork ... )

I understand and respect ur philosophy ---
however, I had chosen another route.


Thanks for posting.
Margi.