Lamb Tagine Recipe: Honey, Apricots and a Slow Braise

Lamb tagine with honey and apricots is a Moroccan braise built on mrouzia technique: lamb shoulder cooked low and slow in spiced stock, then finished with reduced dried fruit and honey until the sauce turns glossy rather than thin.

The dish takes its name from the conical clay pot it is traditionally served in. Sweet-savoury pairings like this are a hallmark of Fassi cooking, and this version keeps the fruit modest against the sauce, so honey reads as seasoning, not dessert, and holds the almonds back until serving so they stay crisp.

Ingredients

The sauce should coat a spoon, not drown it: reduce until it clings, not until syrupy.

• 900 g lamb shoulder, boneless, cut into 4 cm cubes
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp fine salt, divided
• 3 tbsp sunflower oil
• 2 onions, 1 finely chopped and 1 thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 tsp saffron threads, crumbled
• 1 small bunch cilantro, tied with kitchen string
• 600 ml chicken stock
• 180 g dried apricots
• 50 g golden raisins
• 60 g blanched almonds
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Method

1. Toss the lamb with the turmeric, ginger and 1/2 tsp salt; the dry rub seasons the meat before any liquid can wash it off.
2. Brown the lamb in a heavy pot over high heat, in two batches, 3-4 minutes a side. Crowding the pot steams rather than browns it.
3. Soften the chopped onion in the fat left behind, 4 minutes, scraping up the browned bits, then add the garlic for 1 minute only, since past that it turns bitter.
4. Return the lamb with the stock, saffron, cilantro bundle and remaining salt. Cover and simmer gently 1 1/2-2 hours until fork-tender; a bare simmer melts the shoulder's collagen without drying the muscle.
5. Meanwhile, soak the apricots and raisins in just-boiled water 15 minutes, then drain. Toast the almonds in a dry pan 3-4 minutes, shaking often, until golden.
6. Lift out the lamb, discard the cilantro, then add the sliced onion, drained fruit, honey, cinnamon and pepper to the liquid. Simmer uncovered 8-10 minutes until the sauce coats a spoon; reducing it open concentrates the sugars.
7. Return the lamb to warm through 2-3 minutes. Scatter the almonds and a little cilantro over just before serving, so they stay crisp against the soft meat.

Serving and swaps

Serve straight from the pot with warm flatbread, or spoon it over couscous, as in Marrakech, where similar braises turn up on nearly every table.

Can prunes replace the apricots? Yes, or dried figs; cut the honey slightly if using prunes, since they are sweeter on their own. Leftovers also improve overnight in the fridge, so reheat gently with a splash of water.