Moroccan Lamb Tagine With Dates And Pearl Onions Food

LAMB SHANK TAGINE WITH DATES

Steps:

• Trim shanks of excess fat, then season generously with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine garlic, fresh ginger, paprika and cumin, and smear over shanks. Leave shanks at room temperature to season for at least an hour. (Or you can wrap and refrigerate several hours, or overnight; return to room temperature before proceeding.)
• In a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion, saffron and cayenne, and sprinkle with salt. Cook for 5 minutes, until somewhat softened. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Lower heat to medium, add seasoned shanks and let cook with onions, turning occasionally, until meat and onions are lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Add cinnamon stick, dried ginger, chopped dates and water to barely cover (about 31/2 to 4 cups) to the pot. Bring to a simmer, cover pot with a tightfitting lid and place in oven. Bake for 30 minutes, then turn heat down to 350 degrees. Check sauce and add water if level of liquid is below meat. Continue baking for another hour, checking liquid level occasionally, then test meat by probing with skewer or paring knife. It should be quite tender and almost falling from bone, but cooked no further. (Tagine may be prepared to this point up to two days ahead. Reheat gently in a covered pot on the stovetop, adding a little more water as necessary.)
• Remove meat from pot and place in deep, wide serving bowl. Skim off any surface fat from cooking liquid in pot. Add whole dates to pot and simmer for a few minutes to reduce sauce slightly. Pour sauce and dates over meat. To serve, garnish with raisins, pomegranate seeds and cilantro sprigs.

MOROCCAN LAMB TAGINE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a very large (12- to 13-inch) pot or Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset. Pat the lamb shanks dry with paper towels. In batches, add the lamb shanks to the pot and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes on each side, until they are nicely browned. Transfer to a plate and brown the remaining shanks, adding a little more oil, if necessary. Transfer all the shanks to the plate and set aside.
• Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding more oil, if necessary. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for just 30 seconds. Add the chili powder, turmeric, cumin, cardamom, and cinnamon and cook for one minute. Stir in the tomatoes and their liquid, the chicken stock, brown sugar, lime, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Add the potatoes, butternut squash, and sweet potatoes and bring to a boil. Place the lamb shanks in the pot, spooning some of the sauce and vegetables over the shanks. (They will not be completely submerged.) Cover the pot and bake for 3 hours, until the lamb shanks are very tender. Serve hot with Steamed Couscous.
• Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onions and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned. Add the chicken stock, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and bring to a full boil. Stir in the couscous, turn off the heat, cover, and allow to steam for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve hot.

MOROCCAN LAMB TAGINE WITH DATES AND PEARL ONIONS

Steps:

• Cook onions in medium pot of boiling water 2 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water and peel.
• Heat vegetable oil in heavy large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, season lamb with salt and pepper, add to Dutch oven and brown, about 4 minutes per batch. Using slotted spoon, transfer lamb to bowl after each batch is browned. Return all lamb and any juices to Dutch oven. Mix in chopped fresh parsley, chopped cilantro, ground cinnamon, ginger and saffron. Add 1 cup water and 1/2 cup pearl onions. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until lamb is tender, about 1 hour.
• Using slotted spoon, transfer lamb and pearl onions to bowl. Reserve 3 dates for garnish; add remaining dates and honey to sauce in Dutch oven. Simmer sauce 5 minutes, mashing dates to coarse puree with back of fork. Add remaining pearl onions and simmer until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Mix in remaining 1/2 cup water if necessary to thin sauce. Return lamb mixture to Dutch oven; simmer until heated through about 5 minutes.
• Season tagine to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to platter. Top with slivered almonds and reserved dates.