This delicious tagine is packed full of flavour, with spices, juicy apricots, and butternut squash. Don’t let the long cooking time put you off – once the prep is done and it’s in the pan, it pretty much looks after itself.
Prep time: 15 mins approx
Cook time: 2hrs 15 mins approx
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
500g lamb, cut into cubes (leg is best)
1 small butternut squash, peeled & seeds removed, cut into cubes
2 large carrots, finely diced
1 medium onion, finely diced
100g dried apricots, cut into cubes or slivers
2 large cloves of garlic, crushed
2tbsp olive oil
1tbsp clear honey
1tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp saffron strands
1 vegetable stock cube
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Optional – chopped fresh parsley and toasted pine nuts
Method:
Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the onion and carrot. Cook for around five minutes until soft.
Add the diced lamb and brown all over before mixing in the garlic, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, and saffron. Cook gently for a few minutes until they release their aromas.
Stir in the honey and apricots. Crumble the stock cube into the mixture. Pour in 500ml of boiling water (or enough to cover the meat).
After stirring thoroughly, bring to the boil. Cover the pan and simmer for one hour. Check the amount of liquid in the pan and leave the lid off while the tagine cooks for a further 30 minutes if you need to reduce it.
Add the butternut squash and cook for 20-30 minutes more until the squash is soft and the lamb is tender.
Sprinkle with the parsley and pine nuts, if using, and serve with rice or couscous and a green vegetable.
Variation:
To turn it into a one-pot meal, peel some potatoes and cut them into chunks. Add them at the same time as the squash for the final cooking period.
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