Lamb TAGINE with Dates and Chickpeas

It’s Sunday and we always have to plan something indulgent to finish the end of the week. So part of this week’s budget I got enough ingredients to make a delicious meaty lamb tagine with medjool dates and chickpeas.

This recipe is a slow-cooked pot of goodness, tender lamb pieces cooked until meltingly falling apart in a sauce with hints of cinnamon and spice. The dates add some sweet richness and the chickpeas nutty texture.

What cut of meat do you use?

For this recipe I’ve used lamb leg or lamb shoulder. It has some bone in which I find adds some extra flavour to the tagine.

Is this a traditional tagine recipe?

No this isnt! I’ve made recipes loosely based on tagine recipes I have made before and enjoyed. Firstly it’s not cooked in a tagine it is cooked in a casserole pot, that most of us may have at home. This recipe works because it uses store cupboard ingredients like tomatoes, cinnamon, cumin, stock and things you would find in your larder.

Recipe:

2 tbsp coconut oil/olive oil

500g lamb leg, diced into 3 cm pieces

1 large red onion, sliced

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp coriander

1/2 tbsp turmeric

1/2 tbsp cinnamon

1/2 tbsp paprika

400 ml chopped tomatoes (1 can)

1 stock cube/water to level

5 dates, chopped into pieces

1 can chickpeas, drained

Coriander/Parsley/Pistachios to garnish

salt and pepper

Clean the pieces of lamb and pat dry. season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Firstly in a deep casserole dish, add in the oil on a medium heat.

Add in the sliced onions and garlic, sauté for 5 minutes until softened but not burning.

Now add in the spices, cinnamon, turmeric, coriander, cumin, paprika. Give it all a good stir until mixed with the onions.

Add the pieces of lamb into the mix, turn up the heat slightly to get a brown caramelisation on the lamb. cook this for a few minutes.

Pour in the tomatoes, breaking them up as you stir the meat into them.

Add in the stock until level with the meat. Turn down the heat and cover. Let this gently simmer on the hob for about 3 hours. check every half an hour to see if the sauce is drying up. If it is add a touch of water.

About 30 minutes before the end of cooking, add the chickpeas in and let this cook in the sauce.

Check the seasoning and that the meat is tender and cooked well. garnish with pistachios and chopped herbs and serve over cous cous or steamed rice.