A recipe for Health, sex, happiness and love

Moroccan Stew

A tagine is a North African stew and also the name of the pot which the stew is made. To make this dish you will need a tagine. You can buy one on line or at any good quality cooking store. Once you start using it, you will use it over and over again. Make sure you prepare it according to the directions – oil and slow cook. It is so easy to use and easy to clean.

To balance the sweetness of a fruit tagine start with a simple carrot salad

Shredded carrot salad

Whisk together about a tablespoon of Dijon mustard and about a  2 tablespoon of olive oil.

 In a  mixing bowl

2 cups of shredded carrots

1 cup of shredded cabbage

Toss in a handful of  dark currants or dark raisins

Toss in a handful of chopped parsley

Add dressing and toss – serve as starter salad or as a side dish.

This is my husband’s favorite tagine. It’s made with lamb, fruit and spices.

Lamb tagine with prunes, apricots and honey

1-2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of blanched almonds

1 large red onion finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 medium size carrot cut into bite size pieces

1 thumb size piece of fresh ginger peeled and chopped

A pinch of saffron threads

2 cinnamon sticks

11/2 teaspoons of coriander seed crushed

1 lb of lamb, form the shoulder, leg or shank, trimmed a dn cubed( I prefer the shank)

15 pitted prunes soaked for one hour and drained

 10 dried apricots soaked for one hour and drained

6 strips of un-waxed orange peel

2 tablespoons of dark honey

A little seas salt and ground black pepper

A handful of fresh cilantro leaves finely chopped

Heat the oil in a tangine (can use a heavy based casserole dish),stir in the almonds and cook until tender. Add onion and garlic and sauté until they begin to color. Stir in saffron, ginger, cinnamon sticks and coriander seeds. Toss in the lamb and carrot making sure they get coated with all the spices. Sauté of about 2 minutes

Pour in enough water to just cover the meat and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat, cover the tagine with the top and simmer for about 1 hour until the meat is tender. Add the prunes, apricots and orange peel, cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Stir in the honey, season with salt and pepper, cover and simmer for another 10 minutes. Make sure there is enough liquid in the pot so that the sauce is syrupy and slightly caramelized but not dry.

Sprinkle in some cilantro leaves and leave the rest to sprinkle over the top of the dish. Serve immediately with a side of couscous or with crusty bread.

Serve with a good red French wine such as Bordeaux. Morocco has a big French influence us a French wine goes well with Moroccan food.

For dessert you might want to make it a light sorbet. Lemon and a French macaroon for sweetness. My favorite macaroons – outside Lauderee’ in Paris where I first had them back in 2001 is Paulette’s. You can go to the website and order them in a variety of flavors.paulettesmacarons.com - They are close to the originals born at Lauderee’.

جيد جدا الغذائي