Lamb and Chickpea Tagine with Apricots
- Savory
- Mediterranean
- Stovetop
- Oven
Lamb shoulder braised until tender with onion, cumin and cinnamon, then brightened with chickpeas and sweet apricots. Served over fluffy couscous, it is a gentle, warming Easter centrepiece.
- Total
- 2 h 30
- Prep 20 · Cook 125 · Rest 5
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Searing · Braising
Instructions
-
Cut the lamb shoulder into 3 cm chunks and pat dry. Peel the onions and slice them 1 cm thick. Drain the chickpeas thoroughly. Halve the apricots.
~12 min
Patting the meat dry lets it sear rather than steam, so it browns properly instead of turning grey in the pot.
-
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the lamb in two batches, about 4 minutes per batch, until deeply coloured on all sides, then set aside on a plate.
~4 min
Browning in batches keeps the pot hot so the lamb sears and develops a deep crust instead of stewing in its own moisture.
Brown the lamb in a single layer per batch and resist stirring too soon; a dark crust left on the pot bottom is what gives the braise its depth once the onions and water go in.
Searing Get the pot properly hot and leave the lamb undisturbed until it releases easily; moving it too early tears the crust and steams the meat.
-
Lower the heat to medium, add the onions and 0.5 tsp of the salt, and cook for 8 minutes until softened and golden at the edges. Stir in the cumin and cinnamon and cook for 45 seconds until fragrant.
~8 min
Salting the onions draws out moisture so they soften and colour, and briefly heating the spices in the oil releases their aroma.
-
Return the lamb to the pot with any juices, add 500 ml of the water, the black pepper and the remaining 1 tsp salt. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 1 hour 30 minutes until the lamb is nearly tender.
~90 min
A gentle, covered simmer keeps the liquid just below a boil, so the lamb's connective tissue breaks down into tender meat without drying out.
Braising Keep the liquid at a bare simmer with the lid on, and check that the meat is fork-tender rather than falling apart before you stop cooking.
-
Add the chickpeas and apricots, cover, and simmer for 20 more minutes until the lamb is fork-tender and the sauce has thickened slightly.
~20 min
Adding the chickpeas and apricots late keeps them whole and stops the sweet fruit from breaking down into the sauce.
If the sauce is still thin when the lamb is tender, uncover and simmer 5 to 10 minutes more, until it coats the back of a spoon.
Braising Keep the liquid at a bare simmer with the lid on, and check that the meat is fork-tender rather than falling apart before you stop cooking.
-
While step 5 cooks
While the tagine finishes, bring the remaining 200 ml water to a boil. Put the couscous in a bowl, pour over the boiling water, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
~5 min
Couscous absorbs boiling water as it steams under the cover, and fluffing with a fork separates the grains instead of crushing them.
-
Spoon the couscous onto plates, top with the lamb, chickpeas and apricots, and moisten with the sauce from the pot.
~5 min
