Lamb Tagine with Green Olives and Lemon
When making most stews, cooks typically brown the meat before braising it; here, Ethan Stowell skips that step, which simplifies the Moroccan recipe and gives the lamb a buttery, melt-in-the-mouth texture. The dish is vibrantly flavored with ginger, cumin, coriander, olives and lemon; the broth is delicious over couscous.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- two 2 1/2-inch strips of lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- pinch of saffron threads, crumbled
- one 3-inch cinnamon stick
- kosher salt
- 3 1/2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 4 cups water
- 6 large carrots, thinly sliced
- 1 onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 2 cups pitted green picholine olives, rinsed
- 1 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Direction
- In a large bowl, mix the olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, ginger, paprika, coriander, cumin, black pepper, cayenne, cloves, saffron, cinnamon stick and 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Add the lamb and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours.
- Scrape the lamb and spices into a tagine or a medium enameled cast-iron casserole; discard the lemon zest. Add the water, carrots and onion and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat until the lamb is very tender, about 2 hours.
- Spoon off any fat from the broth. Stir in the olives, season with salt and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley, cilantro and lemon juice. Ladle into bowls and serve.