Lamb Tagine with Prunes

📝 Ingredients

• 700 g boneless lamb shoulder
• 2 brown onions (about 150 g each)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp ras el hanout + 1 tsp ground cinnamon + ½ tsp ground ginger
• 1 chicken stock cube + 400 ml hot water
• 1 tbsp honey
• 120 g pitted prunes
• 30 g flaked almonds
• 200 g medium couscous + 220 ml boiling water
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Cast-iron casserole dish with lid
• Frying pan
• Mixing bowl
• Wooden spoon
• Chopping board
• Knife

📖 Steps

1. Trim the large visible pieces of fat from the lamb, cut it into 4 cm cubes and pat them dry with kitchen paper. Peel the onions and slice them thinly; peel and chop the garlic. Dissolve the stock cube in the hot water.
2. Heat the oil in the casserole dish over a medium-high heat. Brown the lamb in two batches, 3 to 4 minutes each, until the cubes are well browned on all sides. Don't overcrowd the dish, or the meat will boil instead of browning. Set aside on a plate.
3. Lower to a medium heat, add the onions with a pinch of salt and soften them for 8 minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, until tender and golden. Add the garlic, ras el hanout, cinnamon and ginger, and stir for 1 minute to wake up the spices.
4. Return the lamb and its juices to the dish, pour in the stock (it should come three-quarters of the way up the meat), season lightly with salt and add pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook gently for 1 hour 15 minutes over a low heat, stirring every 20 minutes and adding a little water if the sauce catches.
5. Add the honey and prunes, stir and cook for another 15 minutes with the lid on, until the meat falls apart with a fork and the prunes are plump. If the sauce is too thin, finish with 5 minutes uncovered so it becomes syrupy.
6. Meanwhile, toast the almonds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until golden and fragrant. Tip them straight onto a plate, as they burn very quickly.
7. Put the couscous in a large bowl with a pinch of salt, pour over the 220 ml of boiling water, cover with a plate and leave to swell for 5 minutes. Then fluff it up with a fork to separate the grains.
8. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Divide the couscous between 4 shallow bowls, add the lamb, prunes and sauce, then scatter over the toasted almonds. Serve piping hot.