The Road to Morocco

by Laura Donnelly — April 16, 2007

Moroccan tagines are aromatic, spicy, exotic, mysterious, sensual. Chicken, fish, lamb, or vegetables are combined with olives, dried fruit, and preserved lemons, and slowly cooked in the traditional conical shaped slaoui. A typical meal is served around a low round table, the guests seated on luxurious pillows. A silver pitcher of orange-flower-scented water is used to rinse the right hand (this is your eating utensil!), a blessing is given, and the feast begins. First several hot and cold salads are served, carrots with garlic and cumin, eggplant and tomatoes, chickpeas. Then the fragrant tagine is served along with fluffy buttered couscous. Sometimes a flaky almond paste confection dipped in honey is served for dessert along with cool sliced melon and super-sweet mint tea poured into colorful etched glasses. Shaban--complete satisfaction--is achieved. No wonder there is usually only one meal per day!

Moroccan cooking is influenced by Spain, Turkey, the Middle East, and other parts of North Africa. The Arab connection is in the spices, like cinnamon, ginger, saffron, and cumin. Persians introduced the sweet-and-sour flavor combinations. Complicated spice mixtures like ras al hanout (often containing up to 100 ingredients, including Spanish fly!) are rubbed into meats a day before cooking. It is easy to duplicate a traditional tagine with a Dutch oven or heavy-lidded casserole. Cooking can be done on top of the stove or in the oven. Best of all, the flavors blend together beautifully after a day in the refrigerator, so it is a perfect do-ahead dish for a party.

You can make your own preserved lemons or they can be found at most gourmet stores or Middle Eastern markets along with harissa, a salty peppery condiment that is "always present and always ready" on the table. Ras al hanout can be found at Globalpalate.com, and charmoula, a parsley-cilantro marinade, can be easily made at home.

Try making a fragrant and beautiful tagine: the marvelous and seductive scents will transport you and your family to the souks and medinas of Tangier and Fez.

Lamb Tagine with Apricots and Preserved Lemons

Some tagine recipes call for a good deal of oil or butter. Make this dish the day before serving and you can skim off the excess fat before reheating.

Serves 6

5 lbs. lamb shoulder, cut into 1 inch cubes
4 Tablespoons ras al hanout
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
3 medium onions, halved and sliced thin
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced thin
5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 -inch piece fresh ginger, grated
1/2 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped
2 preserved lemons, pulp removed, cut into julienne
4 cups chicken stock

Parsley or cilantro to garnish

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Toss lamb pieces in bowl with ras al hanout and salt and pepper. Let stand several hours or overnight in refrigerator.

3. In large heavy casserole, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Add lamb in batches and brown evenly, being careful not to burn spice coating. Remove lamb and set aside.

4. Add more oil if necessary and sauté onions until golden and soft, stirring constantly. Add carrots, garlic, and ginger. Stir. Add lamb, apricots, and lemon. Stir. Add enough stock to just cover meat and vegetables.

5. Place in preheated oven and bake approximately 1 and 1/2 hours, or until lamb is fork tender. If too much liquid remains, remove lamb and reduce sauce on top of stove. Garnish with parsley or cilantro and serve with couscous (the kind you find in supermarkets or see our recipe tomorrow).