Lamb Tagine with Apricots and Almonds

Method

This tagine shows the Moroccan balance of sweet and savoury at its clearest — the honey and dried apricots are not a garnish but a structural counterweight to the deep, spiced lamb. Pat the diced shoulder dry, season it, and brown it hard in the olive oil, in batches, in a heavy casserole. Do not crowd the pan; the pieces need room to colour rather than steam, and that browning is flavour you cannot recover later. Lift the meat out as it is done.

Soften the sliced onions gently in the same pot, scraping up the browned residue, then add the crushed garlic. Stir in the ground cinnamon, ginger, cumin, and ras el hanout, cooking them in the fat for a minute until fragrant. Crumble the saffron into a splash of warm stock and let it steep. Return the lamb and any resting juices to the pot, pour in the saffron and the rest of the stock so the liquid barely covers the meat, and season lightly. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook very gently — a low oven at 150°C is ideal — for around two hours, until the lamb is meltingly tender.

While the lamb braises, toast the blanched almonds in a dry pan over a moderate heat, shaking often, until golden and fragrant; tip them out at once so they do not scorch. About twenty-five minutes before the end, stir the dried apricots and the honey into the tagine. Adding the dried fruit partway through, rather than at the start, lets it plump and soften into the sauce without disintegrating, and gives up its sweetness gradually.

For the final stretch, uncover the pot and let the sauce reduce to a glossy, concentrated glaze that coats the meat — moroccan-cuisine|a proper tagine is a dry braise, and a thin, soupy sauce means it has not finished. Taste and adjust: the dish should be warm and rounded, the cinnamon present but not overwhelming, balanced by a little more salt if it leans too sweet. Scatter the toasted almonds over just before serving, with fresh coriander if you like, and serve with couscous to carry the sauce.