lamb and apricot tagine

a lovely, tangy moroccan lamb dish. the preparation is easy, yet the dish takes time with the soaking of the apricots and then the cooking in the oven. not a dish to make when in a hurry...


pre-heat the oven to 160º celsius.

soak 250g dried apricots in ½ cup of boiling water and ¾ cup of fresh orange juice, covered, for 1 hour.

heat a dash of olive oil in an ovenproof casserole dish and fry 900g cubed pieces of lamb steak in batches until brown. remove and set aside.

in the same dish, gently sauté 1 large onion, 2 red peppers, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground cumin and 2 teaspoons ground coriander in olive oil until soft and fragrant.

add 1 cup of dry red wine (i substituted the red wine with red grape juice mixed with a dash of red wine vinegar to take the sweetness away and it worked like a charm), bring to boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half.

return the browned lamb to the casserole dish, add the soaked apricots (quartered) together with the juice, 1 litre vegetable stock and 2 tablespoons of honey. bring to boil.

cover and place in the oven until the lamb is tender, ± 2½ hours. stir through ¾ of a cup of plain yoghurt just before serving.

serve with couscous or mashed potatoes.