Moroccan Lamb Tagine

In Morocco, tagines, or stews, are cooked in a pottery dish called a tagine slaoui, which has a conical lid that helps capture the steam to produce moist stews in rich sauces. Using a large Dutch oven produces similar results. Serve with steamed couscous or warm flatbread.

3 lbs boneless lamb shoulder
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp all-spice
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp tomato paste
¼ cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 bay leaf
½ tsp each, salt and freshly cracked pepper
½ cup Jumbo Flame raisins
½ cup sliced, dried apricots
1 cup canned, drained and rinsed chickpeas
1 tsp orange zest
2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
¼ cup pine nuts
¼ cup freshly chopped parsley
¼ cup freshly chopped mint

1. Trim lamb and cut into 1 inch cubes. In a saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown lamb in batches. Transfer the lamb to a plate.
2. Heat oven to 350°F.
3. Drain any fat from pan and reduce heat to medium. Cook onions, carrots, garlic, cumin, all-spice and cinnamon, stirring until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir in for 30 seconds. Add wine, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add chicken stock, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Return lamb and any accumulated juices to pan; bring to a boil.
4. Place all the ingredients in a tagine and put it in the centre of oven for 1 hour.
5. Stir in raisins, apricots, chickpeas, orange zest and juice; cover and cook until lamb is tender and sauce is thickened, about 30 minutes. Discard bay leaf.
6. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, toast pine nuts over medium heat, shaking often, until golden, about 3 minutes; sprinkle over the stew. Sprinkle the parsley and mint over the dish and serve. Makes 6 to to 8 Servings.