Lamb Tagine
(Moroccan Stew)
Recipes by Sharma Restaurant, Mdina. Photos by: Daniel Coppini
Ingredients
1lb lamb, beef or goat’s meat
1½lbs potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 cup olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
2 tsp salt, or to taste
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp pepper
1 preserved lemon, quartered
Pinch of saffron threads, crumbled (optional)
Small handful of parsley and coriander sprigs,
tied into a bouquet
Large handful of red or green olives
Preparation:
Clay or Ceramic Tagine Method
Pour olive oil into base of a tagine. Arrange onion slices across the bottom and distribute garlic on top. Add the potato slices (you can arrange them neatly if you like) and place the meat on top of the potatoes in the centre. Sprinkle the spices as evenly as possible over the meat and potatoes. Add the parsley bouquet, the olives, the preserved lemon, and about 1 1/2 cups of water.
Cover tagine and place on a diffuser over medium-low to medium heat and allow to reach simmering point. This can take some time, so be patient. Once a simmer is achieved, reduce the heat to the lowest temperature necessary to maintain the simmer and cook for three to four hours, or until the meat is very tender and can be pulled apart with the fingers.
