Lamb and Apricot Tagine

I've found this tagine from Dorie Greenspan's site..although the recipe is not her own creation but luckily, she's kind enough to share and have it published !

No any effort made for the dish cuz it's so easy to cook..what you really need to get this wonderful and delicious food is just some time...


The recipe (adapted from here)

1 3/4 cups chicken broth
handful of moist, plump dried apricots
olive oil
500 g stewing lamb, cut into cubes about 1 1/2 inches on a side
3 medium onions, peeled, trimmed and coarsely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, peeled, trimmed, germ removed and finely chopped
One 14 1/2 - ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds, cracked
2 pinches saffron
1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
About 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Couscous or rice, for serving

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Bring the broth to the boil, then pour it into the bowl. Add the apricots to the bowl and let them soak and plump while you prepare the rest of the tagine.

Put a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and pour in 3 tablespoons of the oil. Pat the pieces of lamb dry between sheets of paper towels, then drop them into the hot oil - don't crowd the pan; work in batches, if necessary - and brown the meat on all sides, about 4 minutes. Lift the meat out of the pot and onto a plate with a slotted spoon. Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Pour out the fat that it's in the pan, but leave whatever bits may have stuck to the base.

Return the pan to the stove, adjust the heat to low and add 2 more tablespoons of the olive oil. When the oil is warm, stir in the onions and garlic and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, just to get them started on the road to softening. Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and continue to cook, stirring often, for another 10 minutes, adding a little more oil, if needed. Add the chicken bouillon/broth to the pot as well as the coriander, saffron - crush the saffron between your fingers as you sprinkle it into the pot - ginger, cumin, cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of the chopped cilantro leaves. Stir to mix and dissolve the spices, season with salt and pepper and spoon the meat over the base of vegetables. Top with the plumped apricots, seal the pan with aluminum foil and clap on the lid.

Slide the pan into the oven.Bake the tagine for 1-1.30 hours. Serve with coucous or rice.