Lamb Tagine with Artichokes Preserved Lemons and Olives
Tagines like this are great for parties, but this one cooks up so fast, I suggest adding it to your weeknight rotation!
Serves 2
Ingredients
3/4 pounds lean lamb stew meat, cut from the leg or shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 cloves garlic, minced chopped
1/2 cup red onion, minced
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon saffron threads
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 small trimmed and pared artichokes, 1-inch diameter
1/2 preserved lemon peel, diced
1/3 cup oil-cured black olives
Instructions
Place the lamb, parsley, garlic, onion, olive oil, paprika, cumin, saffron, salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a tagine. Cover with 2 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as it comes to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the meat is very tender and the sauce has reduced to a thick gravy, 1 to 1/2 hours. Add water, if necessary, during the cooking time if the sauce gets too thick. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.
When the lamb has cooked 1 ½ hours, place the artichokes and preserved lemons. Cover and cook until the artichokes are tender, 20 minutes. Add the olives and sprinkle the stew with the remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Simmer 2 minutes. Serve the tagine directly from the tagine vessel.
