Rosemary Shrager's lamb tagine recipe

Rosemary Shrager's lamb tagine is a lamb dish that the whole family will love. Inspired by aromatic Moroccan dishes and taking it's name from the pot that the stew is cooked in, tagine is a great way to make lamb really tender and full of flavour. You can use whole cuts or just leftovers from a Sunday roast. We love the flavours of lemon and cumin that come through in Rosemary Shrager's tagine, with crunchy toasted almonds to finish. The whole family will love Rosemary's lamb tagine recipe.

Ingredients

• 1.5kg boned shoulder of lamb, cut into 3cm dice
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 500ml red wine
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon tomato purée
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2cm piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp cumin seeds, crushed
• 4 tsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch of saffron strands
• 150g raisins
• 50g flaked almonds
• 300ml chicken stock
• 2 preserved lemons, skins only, finely sliced
• 6 tbsp finely chopped coriander
• Sea salt and black pepper
• Chopped flat-leaf parsley, to garnish

For the couscous

• 350ml chicken stock or vegetable stock or water
• Pinch of saffron strands (optional)
• 250g couscous

Method

1. Season the lamb with salt and pepper.
2. Heat the oil in a large casserole over a high heat and add the diced meat, cooking it in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan. Fry the lamb until browned and caramelised all over. Remove the lamb from the casserole and set aside.
3. Gently cook the onion in the same pan until softened, adding more oil if necessary. Pour in the red wine. Raise the heat and simmer until reduced by half, stirring and scraping the base of the pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze it. Stir in the honey and tomato purée.
4. Return the lamb to the casserole with the garlic, ginger, spices, raisins and flaked almonds.
5. Pour in the chicken stock. Stir well, then bring to a simmer and add some salt and pepper.
6. Cover the casserole and transfer to an oven preheated to 150°C/300°FGas mark 2. Cook for 2 hours or until the meat is very tender.
7. Remove from the oven and stir in the preserved lemon and coriander, then adjust the seasoning, cover and set aside while you prepare the couscous.
8. To prepare the couscous, bring the stock or water to the boil and stir in the saffron, if using. Put the couscous in a bowl. Pour over the hot stock or water. Then cover with cling film and leave for 5 minutes. Fluff up with a fork. Serve the tagine garnished with parsley and accompanied by the couscous.