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This Sephardic lamb tagine slowly braises bone-in lamb shoulder with onion, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, turmeric, tomatoes and beef broth, sweetened with dried apricots, dates and honey and finished with cilantro and toasted almonds.
Slow Cooking Tough Cuts
Moroccan Jewish cooks mastered slow-cooking tougher cuts until meltingly tender. Brown the lamb well, bloom the spices with the onion, then braise gently. Add the dried fruit partway through so it plumps without dissolving. For a less sweet tagine, reduce the honey and dates.
Kosher Notes
This is a meat (fleishig) recipe and a great dish for Shabbat or Rosh Hashanah, when sweet foods are traditional. Use kosher beef broth. Beef chuck works in place of lamb.
Make-Ahead
It tastes better the next day and keeps for 3 days or 3 months frozen.

Ingredients
What I use for this recipe
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Method
- Pat the lamb pieces dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper on all sides.
- Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, brown the lamb pieces on all sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer browned lamb to a plate and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium and add the diced onion to the same pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly golden, about 5 minutes.
- Add minced garlic and grated ginger to the pot and cook for another minute until fragrant.
- Stir in cinnamon, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. Cook for 30 seconds until the spices are fragrant.
- Pour in the beef broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the drained tomatoes and honey, stirring to combine.
- Return the browned lamb to the pot along with any accumulated juices. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover.
- Simmer gently for 1 hour and 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more broth if needed to keep the lamb barely covered.
- Add the dried apricots and chopped dates to the pot. Continue cooking, covered, for another 30 minutes until the lamb is fork-tender and the fruit is softened.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. The sauce should be thick but not dry.
- Serve hot, garnished with fresh chopped cilantro and toasted sliced almonds. Accompany with couscous, rice, or crusty bread.
Notes
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