Best Lamb Squash Apricot Tagine Recipes

MOROCCAN LAMB TAGINE WITH HONEY AND APRICOTS

Steps:

• Cut lamb into 1 1/2-inch cubes and place in a medium-sized bowl. Season the lamb with turmeric, ginger and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Heat a tagine or Dutch oven over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil and half of the seasoned lamb. Cook the lamb until browned on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the lamb from the pan and set aside. Repeat with remaining oil and lamb.
• Return the seared lamb to the pan and add the diced onions. Cook, stirring to get the browned bits off the bottom of the pan, for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, saffron, and cilantro bundle and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for 1 1/2 hours, or until the meat is tender.
• Pour 1 cup of boiling water over the apricots and raisins and let sit for 20 minutes. Strain and set the fruit aside.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat, place it on a clean plate, and keep warm. Bring the remaining liquid in the pan to a simmer. Add the sliced onions, apricots, raisins, honey, cinnamon, ground pepper, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Return the liquid to a simmer and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, or until mixture is slightly thickened. Add the cooked lamb back into the sauce and cook to heat through, about 2 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro sprigs. Serve with Moroccan Vegetable Couscous and Moroccan Yogurt with Preserved Lemon Dip.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Toss the red pepper halves and onion quarters with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium bowl. Arrange pepper and onion, cut sides down, on a small baking sheet, drizzling any remaining olive oil onto the baking sheet as well. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the skin is browned and bubbly. Peel, seed, and dice the red bell pepper and dice the onion. Set aside.
• Rinse the couscous in a fine-meshed strainer under cold running water until completely soaked. Drain and place in a medium bowl. Allow couscous to stand and swell for 5 minutes.
• Arrange a vegetable steamer or other steamer insert with small holes in a large stockpot with water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the steamer. Bring the water to a boil and add the couscous to the vegetable steamer. Cover tightly and steam for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tender and fluffy. Remove from the steamer, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and fluff with a fork. Cover to keep warm and set aside.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and cauliflower, and cook until lightly brown and softened, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic, zucchini, tomatoes and juices, garbanzo beans, chopped red onion and bell pepper, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon and salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to medium. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 7 to 10 minutes. Adjust the seasonings with the salt and pepper. Remove from the heat, stir in the parsley, and cover to keep warm.
• In a small skillet heat the butter over medium heat. When foamy, add the almonds and cook until toasted, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Arrange the couscous on a large serving platter and top with the vegetable mixture, tossing gently. Sprinkle toasted almonds over the top and serve immediately.
• Put the yogurt in a cheesecloth lined strainer over a bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight to drain.
• Put the drained yogurt in a medium bowl and stir in the cucumber, mint, and lemon. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

LAMB TAGINE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine lamb and 2 teaspoons salt. Let sit at room temperature at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
• In a small pot, bring stock to a boil. Remove from heat, add apricots, and let sit at least 15 minutes.
• Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a tagine, Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot with a tightfitting lid, warm 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat until hot. Working in batches, add lamb to pot, leaving room around each piece (this will help them brown). Cook until well browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer pieces to a plate as they brown.
• Drain fat, if necessary, leaving just enough to coat the bottom of the pot. Add onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add tomato paste, ginger, 1 cinnamon stick and the spices, and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add lamb and any juices on the plate, the apricots and stock, and half the cilantro. Cover pot with foil and then its lid, and cook in oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until lamb is tender, turning it occasionally. (If using a tagine, you don't need to use foil.) Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
• Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat butter and 1 cinnamon stick over medium heat. Add almonds and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cook until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Discard cinnamon stick.
• To serve, transfer lamb and juices to a serving platter. Top with toasted almonds and any butter left in the small skillet, scallions, parsley and remaining cilantro. Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice to taste. Serve with flatbread or couscous, if desired.

LAMB AND SQUASH TAGINE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, toss lamb with flour; season with salt and pepper. In a 2-quart enameled cast-iron tagine or a Dutch oven (at least 5 quarts), heat oil over medium-high. Cook lamb until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes; transfer to a plate.
• Reduce heat to medium; add onion, garlic, and tomato paste to pot; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion has softened, 6 minutes. Add cinnamon sticks, 4 cups water, and reserved lamb (with any juices that have accumulated); bring to a boil.
• Cover pot and transfer to oven; cook until lamb is just tender, about 1 hour. Add squash, return to oven, and cook until squash is tender, about 30 minutes more. Remove cinnamon sticks, stir in prunes, and season with salt and pepper. Serve with cilantro and couscous.

LAMB TAGINE WITH PRUNES, APRICOTS, AND VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Cut lamb from bones, reserving bones, then cut meat into 1-inch pieces.
• Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in a flameproof wide shallow casserole with a tight-fitting lid over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Brown meat on all sides in 2 batches, transferring to a plate as browned. Brown bones and transfer to plate.
• Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil to the casserole and cook onion, stirring, until softened. Return meat and bones to pot. Stir in water, saffron, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer mixture, covered, stirring occasionally, until lamb is tender, about 1 1/4 hours.
• Transfer the lamb to a clean plate and add any meat from lamb bones, discarding bones. Add carrots and sweet potato to pot, then simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are barely tender, about 10 minutes.
• Add ginger, cinnamon, prunes, apricots, and squash, simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables and fruits are tender, about 5 minutes. Return lamb to stew and add honey. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.

LAMB TAGINE WITH CHICKPEAS AND APRICOTS

Steps:

• Place chickpeas in a medium saucepan. Add water to cover by 2". Let soak overnight.
• Drain chickpeas; return to same saucepan. Add 2 whole garlic cloves and cinnamon stick. Add water to cover by 2". Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until chickpeas are tender, about 45 minutes. Drain; set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Season lamb with salt and pepper. Working in batches, brown lamb on all sides, about 4 minutes per batch. Transfer lamb to a medium bowl. Add onion to pot; reduce heat to medium, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until soft and beginning to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Add chopped garlic, Ras-el-Hanout , and ginger. Stir for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and lamb with any accumulated juices. Bring to a boil. Add 2 1/2 cups stock. Return to a boil, reduce heat to low, partially cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until lamb is tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Stir in chickpeas; simmer until heated through, about 10 minutes. Stir in apricots; simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Spoon couscous onto a large, shallow platter, forming a large well in center. Spoon tagine into center. Sprinkle cilantro over.

LAMB TAGINE WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH, DRIED APRICOTS, AND ALMONDS

Steps:

• Place a large soup pot over medium-high heat; add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.
• When oil begins to smoke, add half the lamb; lightly brown on all sides, regulating the heat if the meat threatens to burn.
• Set meat aside in a bowl; repeat with remaining lamb.
• Take the pot from the heat and let it cool slightly.
• Return it to med-low heat; add in 4 tablespoons butter; let it melt.
• Add in the saffron, cinnamon, black pepper, turmeric, cayenne, ginger, and minced yellow onion, scraping the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits.
• Let the mixture cook gently for 4 minutes.
• Add in the cooked lamb and any accumulated juices, with 1 1/2 teaspoon salt; stirring to coat the lamb with the spice mixture.
• Stir in the water; increase heat to high and bring just to a simmer.
• With kitchen string, tie together 5 coriander springs and add to the pot.
• Let mixture cook, uncovered, at a bare simmer( the bubbles should be lazy) for 1 hour 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add in the sliced sweet onion and the almonds; simmer for 30 minutes.
• Taste the tagine; add salt if needed.
• Remove the coriander bundle and discard.
• Turn off the heat and allow the tagine to rest at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours at room temperature.
• While tagine is resting: Prepare the squash--you only need the seedless neck from the squash; peel and halve the neck lengthwise; then cut it into 3/8-inch thick half moons.
• Heat a large skillet over med-high heat and add in the remaining vegetable oil.
• When the oil slides easily in the skillet, sauté the squash pieces on both sides, lightly salting each side as you go for about 5 minutes per side or until just tender and golden brown at the edges.
• Regulate the heat if the squash threatens to burn.
• Near the end of cooking, and while the squash pieces are still a bit firm, add the remaining butter and drizzle the honey over the squash.
• Swirl the pan to blend the ingredients, and gently toss the squash to coat.
• Turn off the heat and reserve in the skillet.
• When ready to serve, gently reheat the lamb, and stir in about 2/3s of the squash pieces.
• Combine the apricots with the remaining squash in the skillet, cover and reheat gently, swirling to coat the pieces.
• Divide the lamb mixture into 4 wide, shallow bowls.
• Drizzle with some of the juices.
• Distribute the apricots and remaining squash over the lamb.
• Drizzle any liquid remaining in the skillet over each serving.
• Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

LAMB TAGINE WITH APRICOTS, OLIVES AND BUTTERED ALMONDS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Trim excess fat off lamb. Put meat in a deep Dutch oven or cast-iron pot with the garlic, salt, black pepper, paprika, ginger and cumin. Rub spices and garlic evenly all over meat.
• Thinly slice onions, then mince enough of them to yield 1/2 cup. Add minced onion to pot with lamb; reserve onion slices.
• Place pot over high heat and let cook, turning meat on all sides, until spices release their scent, about 3 minutes. You need not brown meat. Add 3 cups water to pot (it should come 3/4 of the way up lamb), along with cinnamon and saffron. Bring to a simmer, then cover pot and transfer to oven. Let braise for 45 minutes.
• Turn meat, then top with onion slices. Cover pot and braise for another 45 minutes to an hour, or until lamb is very tender. Use a slotted spoon to transfer meat to a bowl, leaving broth and onions in pot.
• Place pot on stove over high heat and add 3/4 cup apricots and the olives. Simmer broth until it reduces by a third and thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Return lamb to pot and keep warm until serving. (Tagine can be prepared 4 days ahead; chill, then remove fat and reheat before serving.)
• To serve, chop remaining 1/2 cup apricot slices. In a small skillet, melt butter. Add almonds and cook until well browned and toasted, about 2 minutes. Put couscous in a serving bowl and top with almonds and butter and chopped apricots. Pile tagine in center of couscous and garnish with herbs.