Lamb Tagine with Zucchini and Za’atar

The recipe for this delicious tagine was collected by a Peace Corps girl, who liked it so much she made up copies and handed them around to all her friends.

Working time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 2 hours
Serves: 4 to 5

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds lamb shoulder, cut into 
• 1½-inch chunks 
• 3 tablespoons salad oil or butter 
• 1 scant cup grated onion 
• Pinch of pulverized saffron 
• ½ teaspoon turmeric 
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• Salt to taste 
• 2 small cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley 
• 2½ pounds zucchini, preferably small ones 
• 1½ to 2 teaspoons za’atar, or one or a combination of thyme, marjoram, orégano

Direction:

1. Trim and discard the excess fat from the lamb, then gently brown on all sides in oil or butter. 
2. Add the grated onion, spices, salt, garlic, and parsley, tossing to coat the meat. 
3. Pour in 2 cups water and bring to a boil. 
4. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, 1½ hours, or until the meat is almost falling off the bones. 
5. Add small amounts of water whenever necessary. 
6. Meanwhile, wash, top, and tail the zucchini and cut into 3/4-inch slices. 
7. Salt lightly and let drain 20 minutes, then rinse and drain again. 
8. Sprinkle with the za’atar, finely crushed between the fingertips. 
9. Set aside. 
10. When the meat is fully cooked, remove it from the casserole, arrange in one layer in the ovenproof serving dish, and cover with foil to keep warm. 
11. Add the zucchini to the sauce in the casserole and cook 10 minutes. 
12. Remove the partially cooked zucchini slices and, removing the foil, cover the meat attractively with them. 
13. Preheat the oven to 350°. 
14. By boiling rapidly, uncovered, reduce the sauce to a thick gravy (about 1 cup), pour over meat and zucchini, replace the foil, and bake 20 minutes. 
15. Serve at once, with a small sprinkling of extra herbs.

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Tagine of Lamb with String Beans Smothered in Sweet Tomato Jam

Working time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 2¼ hours
Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients: 

• 3 pounds lamb shoulder, cut into 1½-inch chunks, with bones 
• Pinch of pulverized saffron 
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger 
• Salt to taste 
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 
• 2 to 3 tablespoons salad oil 
• 2/3 cup grated onion 
• 12 to 14 red, ripe tomatoes, preferably fresh, peeled, seeded, chopped and drained, 1 cup of the juice reserved 
• 3/4 pound fresh string beans 
• ¼ cup chopped fresh green coriander or chopped parsley 
• 1 teaspoon sugar, or to taste 
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste

Direction: 

1. Trim and discard the excess fat from the lamb. 
2. In the casserole, mix the spices, salt, garlic, and oil. 
3. Toss with the lamb to coat each piece. 
4. Stir in the grated onion and the 1 cup fresh tomato juice. 
5. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, 1½ hours. 
6. Add water or any leftover tomato juice when necessary to keep the meat moist and avoid scorching. 
7. Meanwhile, top and tail the string beans. 
8. Transfer 1 cup of the sauce to the saucepan and simmer the beans until tender, along with 1 tablespoon of the herbs. 
9. Cover the pan and keep warm.
10. When the meat is very tender,that is, when it falls easily off the bones, remove and keep warm. 
11. Add the chopped tomatoes to the sauce in the casserole and cook down quickly over very high heat, mashing the tomatoes to a puree and constantly turning them so they do not scorch as they reduce. 
12. Cook down to about 1½ cups, adding sugar and cinnamon to taste. 
13. Return the lamb to the sauce to reheat, and reheat the string beans separately. 
14. To serve, arrange the string beans around the rim of the serving dish. 
15. Spoon lamb and tomatoes into the center and sprinkle with the remaining chopped coriander or parsley. 
16. Serve hot or warm.

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Tagine el Lahm Felfla Matisha (Tagine of Lamb with Green Peppers and Tomatoes)

Working time: 35 minutes
Cooking time: 2½ hours
Serves: 5 to 6

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds shoulder of lamb, cut into 1½-inch chunks 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 
• Pinch of pulverized saffron 
• Salt to taste 
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger 
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika 
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley 
• 1/4 cup salad oil or less 
• 2½ pounds fresh, ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped 
• 1 pound sweet green peppers, grilled, peeled, seeded, and chopped 
• Juice of 1 lemon

Direction: 

1. Trim the lamb of excess fat. 
2. Place in the casserole, along with a mixture of garlic, saffron, salt, spices, and parsley pounded to a paste in the mortar. 
3. Pour in the oil to make a sauce and toss with the meat. 
4. Add 2 cups water, bring to boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 30 minutes. 
5. Add the tomatoes and continue simmering for 2 more hours, stirring from time to time while the tomatoes cook down to a thick puree. 
6. Add the green peppers 10 minutes before serving. 
7. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and serve hot or warm.

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Brania (Lamb Tagine with Fried Eggplant)

Ingredients:

For the lamb and sauce:

• 3 pounds rib or shoulder of lamb, cut into 1½-inch chunks
• ½ cup chopped parsley
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1¼ cups grated onion
• ¼ cup salad oil, or less
• 1 rounded teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch of pulverized saffron
• Salt to taste
• 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice

For the eggplant garnish:

• 4 pounds small eggplants
• Salt
• Vegetable oil for frying
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/3 cup lemon juice

Direction:

1. Trim the lamb of excess fat. 
2. Place in the casserole with all the ingredients for the sauce except the lemon juice. 
3. Cover with 4 cups water and bring to a boil. 
4. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, 1½ to 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender, that is, falling off the bones, and the sauce has reduced to a thick gravy. 
5. Add water, if necessary, during the cooking time. 
6. Add the lemon juice and taste for seasoning.
7. Meanwhile, cut off the stems of the small eggplants. 
8. Peel the stems and throw these little “nuggets” into the casserole as soon as possible, to cook with the meat. 
9. Peel the eggplants in alternating stripes lengthwise. 
10. Cut into ¼-inch thick slices, sprinkle heavily with salt, and let drain in a colander 30 minutes to draw off bitterness. 
11. Rinse the slices well and pat dry with paper towels.
12. Heat the oil in the skillet and fry the eggplant slices in batches until they are well browned and crisp on both sides. 
13. Drain, reserving the oil.
14. Mash the fried eggplant with the garlic, spices, and salt to taste. 
15. Reheat the reserved oil and fry the mashed eggplant until crisp and “firm” (about 20 minutes), turning the puree over and over in the oil so that all the water evaporates, and only the oil is left to fry the eggplant, which will become very thick and rich in texture. 
16. Drain again and fold in the lemon juice.
17. Arrange the lamb and sauce in the serving dish. 
18. Spread the eggplant over the meat and serve hot or warm.

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Beef Tagine with Sweet Potatoes

Working time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 2 hours 40 minutes or more
Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients:

• 2½ to 3 pounds beef stew meat, such as shoulder, chuck, or short ribs of beef (with some bone), cut into 1¼-inch chunks
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• Salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼  cup salad oil
• ½ teaspoons sharp paprika
• ¼  teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 pinch ground cumin
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1½ onion, finely chopped
• 2 ripe tomatoes
• ¼  cup mixed chopped herbs (parsley and green coriander)
• 1  pound sweet potatoes

Direction:

1. Remove and discard the excess fat from the beef. 
2. Place the beef in the casserole with the turmeric, salt, pepper, and oil. 
3. Fry, turning the meat often to lightly brown all sides. 
4. Cover the casserole tightly and cook 15 minutes, without lifting the cover. 
5. The meat will cook in its own juices, drawn out by the salt over low heat. 
6. Stir in the remaining spices, chopped onion, herbs, and very little water. 
7. Simmer, covered, 1½ to 2 hours over gentle heat, until the meat is very tender (almost falling off the bones). 
8. Add water whenever necessary to keep the meat from scorching.
9. Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, cook the cauliflower in salted water until nearly tender. 
10. Drain and set aside until needed.
11. Peel the tomatoes, halve them crosswise and squeeze out the seeds, then cut into chunks. 
12. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into ½-inch-thick slices.
13. Preheat the oven to 350°. 
14. Transfer the meat and gravy to the serving dish. 
15. Place the sweet potatoes over the meat and the tomatoes on top of sweet potatoes. 
16. Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes, until the meat and potatoes are tender. 
17. Remove the foil cover, raise the oven heat to 450°, and transfer the dish to the upper shelf of the oven. 
18. Bake until there is a brown spotted crust over the tomatoes. (If there is a great deal of gravy in the pan, pour off into a small saucepan and reduce over high heat to 1 cup before returning it to the dish.) 
19. Taste for seasoning and serve at once.

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Beef Tagine with Cauliflower

Beef tagines can be very good indeed. After hours of slow simmering the meat comes out buttery and soft, and the sauce is full of spicy flavor. The spicing in this dish follows the Beef tagines can be very good indeed. After hours of slow simmering the meat comes out buttery and soft, and the sauce is full of spicy flavor. The spicing in this dish follows the Marrakesh style, while the browning of the meat is Tetuanese.

Working time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 2 hours or more
Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients:

• 2½ to 3 pounds beef stew meat, such as shoulder, chuck, or short ribs of beef (with some bone), cut into 1¼-inch chunks
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• Salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼  cup salad oil
• 1½ teaspoons sharp paprika
• ¼  teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• ¼  cup mixed chopped herbs (parsley and green coriander)
• 2½ pounds cauliflowerets
• Juice of 1 lemon

Direction:

1. Remove and discard the excess fat from the beef. 
2. Place the beef in the casserole with the turmeric, salt, pepper, and oil. 
3. Fry, turning the meat often to lightly brown all sides. 
4. Cover the casserole tightly and cook 15 minutes, without lifting the cover. 
5. The meat will cook in its own juices, drawn out by the salt over low heat. 
6. Stir in the remaining spices, chopped onion, herbs, and very little water. 
7. Simmer, covered, 1½ to 2 hours over gentle heat, until the meat is very tender (almost falling off the bones). 
8. Add water whenever necessary to keep the meat from scorching.
9. Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, cook the cauliflower in salted water until nearly tender. 
10. Drain and set aside until needed.
11. Preheat the oven to 400°.
12. Transfer the beef and gravy to the serving dish. 
13. Place the drained cauliflower over the meat, cover with foil, and bake 15 minutes. 
14. Raise the oven heat to the highest setting, remove the covering, and transfer the dish to the upper shelf in the oven. 
15. Bake until the cauliflower is lightly browned. 
16. Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve at once.

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Mhancha (almond pastry)

Mhancha, a traditional Moroccan pastry filled with almonds and perfumed with orange-blossom water, is the perfect way to finish off your Moroccan banquet.

Serves: 6-8
Prep. time: 25 min
Cooking time:25 min

Ingredients:

• 16 sheets filo pastry
• 1 egg yolk, lightly whisked with 1 tbsp cold water
• 80 g unsalted butter, melted
• 150 g honey, warmed
• icing sugar, ground cinnamon and white sesame seeds, to sprinkle

Almond filling:

• 500 g blanched almonds
• 150 g caster sugar
• 2 tbsp orange-blossom water (see Note)
• 150 g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Direction:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. 
2. To make almond filling, place almonds and sugar in a food processor and blend to a paste, add orange-blossom water and process until combined.
3. Place butter and almond paste in a saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until slightly darker in colour. 
4. Remove from heat and cool completely. 
5. Add egg yolk and cinnamon and mix to a firm paste.
6. Shape almond filling into 8 x 33 cm-long, 3 cm-thick logs. 
7. Working with one sheet of pastry at a time, and keeping the others covered with a lightly dampened tea towel, brush lightly with egg yolk mixture and top with another sheet. 
8. Place 1 almond log in the centre and roll pastry around to enclose. 
9. Continue process with remaining pastry and logs.
10. Working with one log at a time, shape into a tight spiral on an oven tray, then continue with remaining logs, pressing ends together, to make one large spiral. B
11. rush evenly with melted butter and bake for 20 minutes or until golden. 
12. Brush with honey. 
13. Cool completely then dust with icing sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Cook's notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. 

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