Moroccan Lamb Tagine...Let's go to Marrakesh!

I love everything Moroccan and have always had a curiosity about this ancient country in North Africa. Several years ago, I made the epic journey to this mysterious land.

We took a short flight from Spain, across the Strait of Gibraltar, to Marrakesh. Arriving at the airport, fresh and full of wonder, we quickly found our driver, Ahmed, who transported us to the medieval walled city. Hiring a driver in this country is a VERY good idea, for anyone who is not used to maneuvering through a multitude of cars, scooters carrying families of 5 (I'm not kidding), donkey carts, bicycles, assorted goats and dogs and a miriad of pedestrians. It's sheer madness and we were so elated to have Ahmed doing the driving!

Koutoubia Mosque

Along our route to the medina, we passed the very famous Koutoubia Mosque, with it's intricate, colorful facade and tall minaret, that dates back to the 12th century. We also stopped at the Saadian Tombs, which have the vibrant moroccan tilework everywhere you look. We were dazzled! Finally, after "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" (for you Disneyland aficionados), we entered the medina, or interior area, through one of the arched gates.

We had to park the car just inside the walls and walk to our hotel, as the car could not naviagate the twists and turns within the old city. We walked past colorful fruit stalls, wove down a few narrow alleyways and came to a large carved, wooden door that seemed to be stuck right into one of the walls of the medina (Looking at this door, I thought to myself, how could there be a hotel on the other side of this?) After a quick knock, a beauiful Moroccan woman greeted us and to our surprise, led us through the heavy door and into a magical courtyard. We had arrived at Riad Kniza. I was home! Or maybe I was having flashbacks from my past life as a moroccan? Whatever the case may be, I fell madly in love, from that moment on, with magnificent Morocco!

Our Riad (hotel) was a dream come true! Colorful tile and carved wood welcomed us at every turn. It truly was a feast for the eyes. After settling in and relaxing with some mint tea and a puff of the hookah..I had to try it! (When in Morocco...), we spent the next week exploring the Atlas Mountains, the Sahara Desert and the seaside town of Essaouria. This amazing country has so much to see and do that I am going to show you just a tidbit in this post, and focus on the day we spent heading out to the sahara desert to see one of the stunning Kasbahs. I promise to do more posts from Morocco in the future, I have so much to show you!

One mode of transportation...

Winding up the Atlas Mountians

We drove for several hours, through the majestic Atlas mountains, stopping here and there to say hello to donkeys and camels. This is where I was first introduced to the tagine. They use the earthenware tagine as a vessel to cook all kinds of savory delicacies and they also call the final cooked dish, a tagine. It's confusing! But always delicious. We spotted this strange cookware along the side of the road as we approached each little hillside town. The most enticing aromas wafted through the crisp mountain air, making our mouths water with anicipation.

Continuing to asend, we drove on through the mountains until we finally came up over the top to find a completely different arid landscape. The Sahara Desert lay below us. Beautiful in it's barren simplicity, the desert drew us down from the mountaintop. The sight that eventually revealed itself to us, is one that I will always remember as literally breathtaking. An ancient sandcastle! Ait Benhaddou Kasbah.

The earthen village is still standing in the middle of the saharan desert, after several hundred years, and looks like something out of a movie. It actually has been the set of many movies, as well as the HBO series, Game of Thrones (side note: only one more season...argh!) Made entirely from the local earth and wood, the structure was a family home that grew as the family did, into a small enclosed village. We carefully walked through the clay dwellings, imagining ourselves as wives or sisters of this grand desert family. Once we had, had our fill of the facinating Kasbah, we headed back up the mountain, following our noses to the nearest tagine! What an amazing day! The incredible sights, smells, sounds and tastes of Morocco are constantly calling me back...Hopefully someday soon! I miss you, my lovely Morocco!

The tagine that I am making here is made with lamb, one of Morocco's favorite meats. (You could use chicken too and it would be great, but you will need to reduce the cooking time.)

Use your favorite local lamb shoulder and cut it into one inch pieces, trimming the fat as you go (my store only had bone in shoulder chops, so I cooked the bones along with the meat to get more flavor, then removed them before serving). A little bit of fat is good, so that you get the flavor from it, while the tagine cooks. Put the lamb cubes into a plastic zip bag and add the dry Moroccan spices and two tablespoons of olive oil. Seal up the bag and distribute the seasoning to coat all of the lamb pieces, then marinade in the refrigerator, overnight.

When you are ready to get this tagine going, pour two tablespoons of olive oil into a large stew pot or tagine cooker and place the lamb cubes in a single layer so that they can brown nicely. Do it in two batches if you have to. Brown them on all sides to get good color and then remove them from the pot and hold aside.

Add the chopped onion, parsnips and sweet potato to the pot and cook for five minutes, to give them a little color, then add in the minced garlic and ginger.

Let the garlic and ginger cook for two minutes, until fragrant, then stir in the chicken broth and lemon zest . Once combined, add back in the cooked lamb pieces.

Stir and let simmer for 2 hours until the lamb is very tender. You will notice that the sweet potatoes seem to disapear. They will start to melt into the tagine, which thickens it and gives it a stew-like consistency, without having to add in any other thickeners. You could also add in some greens at the end of cooking, to give it some fiber and color. Spoon off any fat from the top before you serve it up.

Garnish your tagine with fresh pomegranate seeds and cilantro and pour a glass of mint tea...you'll feel like you're in Morocco in no time!

You can serve this tagine over cauliflower rice or parsnip puree, or it's just devine all by itself! I made some arabic flatbread to scoop it up with, like the Moroccans do, but you can use any method you like! Forks and spoons are ok too!

*Hot tip: Cut the pomegranate in half, then use a wooden spoon to hit the back of the pomegranate and the seeds will pop out into your bowl!

Moroccan Lamb Tagine

Yield: 4 servings

Prep time: 30 minutes

Total time: 2 ½ hours

INGREDIENTS

Lamb Shoulder | 2 pounds cut into 1” pieces

Olive Oil | 4 tablespoons

Paprika| 1 teaspoon

Turmeric | 1/2 teaspoon

Cayenne | ¼ teaspoon

Garam Masala | 4 teaspoons

Garlic Powder | 1 teaspoon

Salt | 1 teaspoon

Cubed Parsnip | 3 medium

Chopped Onion | 2 medium

Cubed Sweet Potato | 1 large

Minced Garlic | 3 cloves

Grated Ginger | 1 tablespoon

Chicken Broth | 2 cups

Lemon Zest | 1 teaspoon

Grated Ginger | 1 tablespoon

Fresh Cilantro | 3 tablespoons

Pomegranate Seeds | 3 tablespoons

DIRECTIONS

In a zip lock bag, combine lamb pieces, 2 tablespoons olive oil, paprika, turmeric, cayenne, garam masala, salt and garlic powder. Seal bag and mix to coat lamb with spices. Marinade overnight.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat and brown lamb pieces in two batches. Brown completely and remove to plate. Add chopped onion, sweet potato and parsnip to same pot and cook 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and ginger and cook for 2 minutes, until fragrant.

Add cooked lamb, chicken broth and lemon zest back into onion mixture and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours until lamb is very tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with cilantro and pomegranate seeds.

SPECIAL DIET INFORMATION

Lectin Free, Gluten Free