Peter_J_'s Moroccan Lamb Tagine

Photos to follow when it is cooked, tonight.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 900g half Lamb leg on the bone
• 400g red onion
• 250g carrot
• 1 bulb of garlic
• One lemon
• Olive oil
• Bouquet garni
  • 3 x Bay leaves
  • bunch Thyme stalks
  • bunch Mint stalks with leaves on
• Glass red wine (Haram!)
• Passata or crushed tomatoes (400g)
• Spices
  • 1 Cinnamon stick
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
• Honey
• A little water (can use stock, but it is rich enough)

To serve

• Couscous (I flavour mine with chopped sundried tomatoes, lemon, and chopped coriander/cilantro)
• Simple Salad Leaves (I often put in some finely chopped cucumber, spring onion, thinly sliced celery and some sort of green bean or asparagus, but that's up to you).

Equipment

• 1 x high sided frying pan
• 1 slow cooker (you can use a ducth oven, casserole, or other pot in the oven)
• tongs and a wooden spoon

Method

1. Sear. Salt and pepper the lamb (I don't spice it at this point, or it will catch and burn), and then sear it on all sides in olive oil. I cut a garlic bulb in half, and placed the intact half (lower half) face side down in the pan also. the tops of each garlic clove will likely come away when you halve it, so just get the skin off, roughly chop, and toss them straight in the slow cooker, along with the lamb when it has a good colour.
2. Onions. Slice the red onions fairly thin, but it can be quite rough. add them to the fat in the pan (the olive oil and rendered lambfat from previous step), and stir fry until they take on a good colour. When done, tip them in the slow cooker, but check your half-garlicbulb; if it is too scorched, don't put it in the slow cooker at this point.
3. Liquor. Roughly chop the carrots, and stir fry them for a while until slightly colouring. Halve the lemon, halve it again, halve it again, and then add those whole pieces too. Squeeze on some honey, and pour in half a glass of red wine into the pan, and reduce. Add the cinnamon stick at this point as you simmer it. Add the tomatoes and bring up to a light bubble. At this point add those ground spices in. When you have an incorporated sauce, pour it all in the slow cooker. The lamb and vegetables should be almost covered, add more water if you need it.
4. Cook. Braise it low and slow for about 4-6 hours. If using a pot in the oven, it will likely cook quicker, so take care. Check the seasoning at the end - remember you only seasoned the meat so far, it might need a bit more salt, pepper, or lemon. Just before serving, pull the meat off the bone in big chunks - it will come away very easily. Discard the bone (or suck out the marrow like me, chef's treat), and the bouquet garni. Serve with cous cous and simple salad.

Note

I just made this, will post a picture later of the finished result!

bon appetit