This Hairy Bikers lamb tagine from Meat Feasts slow cooks lamb neck in seven spices with saffron, dried apricots and pomegranate molasses. And it serves six in about two and a quarter hours at around 435 calories, with most of that time being a hands-off simmer.
Si and Dave say to “be careful with the rose water, as it varies a lot in strength.” And they recommend adding just a few drops at a time, because too much turns the whole dish floral instead of fragrant.
The technique that pulls everything together is reducing the sauce after the lamb comes out, then adding the rose water to the concentrated liquid. Since the reduction intensifies every spice, the rose water has something bold to work against instead of floating in thin broth.
Hairy Bikers Lamb Tagine Recipe
Description
Si and Dave’s North African lamb tagine from Meat Feasts where chunks of lamb neck simmer in seven spices with saffron, dried apricots and pomegranate molasses before a careful rose water finish.
Ingredients
For the Lamb Tagine:
Instructions
- Sear the lamb: Heat the olive oil in a large flameproof casserole dish until hot, then add the lamb chunks and sear them on all sides until well browned. Do this in batches so you do not overcrowd the pan, since too many pieces at once will steam instead of sear. Remove the lamb and set it aside.
- Build the base: Add the onion wedges to the same pan and fry over a medium heat until they start to brown. Then add the garlic with all seven spices and stir until the onions are coated and the spices smell fragrant.
- Simmer: Pour in the stock, then add the saffron with its soaking water, the apricots and pomegranate molasses. Season with salt and pepper, then put the lamb back in and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for about one and a half hours, turning the lamb every so often until the meat is really tender.
- Reduce and finish: Remove the lamb and keep it warm. Turn the heat up and reduce the remaining liquid until it thickens slightly, which concentrates all the spice and fruit flavour. Then add the rose water a few drops at a time, tasting as you go, until the flavour is right. Return the lamb to the sauce and garnish with parsley and mint.
- Serve: Si and Dave say this is “traditionally served with bread, but we like some couscous with lots of herbs and pomegranate seeds.”
FAQs
Can I make this lamb tagine in a slow cooker?
Follow steps 1 and 2 on the hob to sear the lamb and fry the onions with the spices, since a slow cooker cannot brown meat properly. Then transfer everything to the slow cooker, add the stock, saffron, apricots and pomegranate molasses, and cook on low for six to eight hours or high for four hours.
The one change is reducing the liquid at the end, which you cannot do in a slow cooker. Pour the sauce into a saucepan and reduce it on the hob for ten minutes before adding the rose water, then pour it back over the lamb. That extra step is worth it because without the reduction the sauce stays thin and the rose water gets lost. And if you have lamb left over from this tagine, the leftover lamb shepherd’s pie is a good way to use it up the next day.
Is there a lighter version?
The Hairy Dieters Eat Well Every Day book has a Lamb and Chickpea Tagine at 479 calories per serving that uses less lamb, adds chickpeas and prunes for bulk, and finishes with seared cabbage wedges for extra fibre. And instead of listing seven individual spices it uses a single tablespoon of tagine spice mix or ras-el-hanout, which makes the shopping list shorter.
Si and Dave also include a homemade tagine spice mix recipe in the same book: cumin, coriander, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, turmeric and allspice in equal parts. That mix matches the seven spices in the Meat Feasts version above, so it is the same flavour base just measured differently.
Can I use lamb shanks instead of neck?
Lamb shanks work well and give you a more dramatic presentation since each person gets a whole shank. But they take longer to become tender, so add an extra 30 to 45 minutes and make sure the shanks are submerged in the liquid.
Si and Dave also made a lamb shank tagine on Saturday Kitchen on BBC One from their Best of British series, which uses ras-el-hanout and harissa alongside whole shanks braised in the oven at 160°C for two and a half hours. That BBC version is a different recipe from this Meat Feasts one, but both use the same sear-then-braise approach.
What about a meatball tagine?
The Hairy Dieters Make It Easy book has a Meatball Tagine with Couscous at 451 calories that uses pre-made lamb meatballs simmered in a tomato sauce with ginger, saffron, honey and peas. And it takes only 15 minutes to cook once the meatballs are ready, so it is a weeknight version of the same idea.
Si and Dave serve theirs with wholemeal couscous flavoured with orange juice and fresh mint, which is a lighter finish than the herb and pomegranate couscous they suggest here. You can make a batch of meatballs and freeze them so the tagine comes together in minutes on a busy evening.
Should I use apricots or prunes?
Si and Dave list both as options in the Meat Feasts version, and the Dieters version uses prunes instead. Apricots give a sharper, more tangy sweetness that works well against the pomegranate molasses, while prunes are deeper and richer with a more treacly flavour.
Either way, use the dried version rather than fresh because they hold their shape through the long simmer and thicken the sauce as they soften. You can also mix both for a more complex sweetness, and Si and Dave mention that “if you like yours hot, hot, hot you could add a teaspoon of cayenne” to balance the fruit.
