Lamb & Apricot Tagine

Ingredients

• 800 g lamb shoulder, cut into 4cm chunks
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• salt and black pepper
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 20 g fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 0.5 tsp ground turmeric
• 0.5 tsp chilli flakes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 300 ml lamb or chicken stock
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp honey
• 150 g dried apricots, halved
• couscous or flatbreads, to serve
• 50 g toasted flaked almonds, to serve

Method

1. Pat the lamb dry with kitchen paper and season generously with salt and pepper — water on the surface means steam, and steam means no browning. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based casserole over high heat until it shimmers.
2. Brown the lamb in two batches, 3–4 minutes per batch, turning until each side is deep mahogany. Don't crowd the pan — all at once and the chunks steam in their own juices instead of building the fond that flavours the whole dish. Lift onto a plate.
3. Drop the heat to medium and add the onion. Cook for 6–8 minutes until softened, translucent and just catching at the edges, scraping up any stuck bits from the lamb as you go.
4. Stir in the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, turmeric and chilli flakes. Bloom the spices in the oil for 60 seconds until the kitchen smells warm and fragrant — raw ground spice tastes dusty, bloomed spice tastes of itself. Watch the garlic: it should turn pale gold, not brown. Burnt garlic turns the whole pot bitter.
5. Return the lamb with any resting juices. Tip in the chopped tomatoes, chickpeas, rinsed lentils and stock — the stock is what breaks the tomatoes down so they taste of fruit, not heated tin. Add the apricots and drizzle in the honey. Stir, scrape the base once more, and bring to a steady simmer.
6. Cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat for 75–90 minutes, stirring at the halfway mark so the lentils don't catch. It's ready when the lamb pulls apart under a spoon and the sauce is glossy and thick enough to coat the back of it. If it's still loose, lift the lid for the final 15 minutes to drive off the water.
7. Taste, season, taste again — adjust salt and pepper, and add a final drizzle of honey if the spices need lifting. Do it now, not at the table.
8. Spoon the tagine into bowls over fluffy couscous or alongside warm flatbreads, scatter the toasted flaked almonds and chopped coriander generously over the top, and bring it to the table while the sauce is still bubbling at the edges.