Persian lamb tagine

This warming stew is spiced with cinnamon and cumin, and sweetened with apricots and dates. It’s perfect served with fluffy couscous

2kg lamb neck fillets

5tbsp mild olive oil or sunflower oil

3 medium onions, cut into thin wedges

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped 4tsp ground cumin

4tsp ground coriander

1tsp hot chilli powder

1tsp ground turmeric large pinch of saffron 2 cinnamon sticks

2 preserved lemons (from a jar), drained and cut into thin wedges

300g ready-to-eat dried apricots

250g ready-to-eat dried pitted dates

100g shelled pistachios

2tsp rosewater

25g cornflour small bunch coriander, leaves roughly chopped cooked couscous or basmati rice, to serve

1

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Trim the lamb of any hard fat, cut into chunks and season all over. Heat 1tbsp of the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish and brown the lamb in 3-4 batches over a high heat for 1-2 mins until lightly coloured. Add 1tbsp more oil between each batch and transfer to a bowl each time a batch is browned.

2

Heat the remaining oil in the same dish over a medium heat and fry the onions for 5 mins or until softened and lightly coloured. Stir in the garlic, cumin, coriander, chilli powder, turmeric, 1 tsp ground black pepper and 1 tsp flaked sea salt. Cook for

1 min, stirring. Return the lamb to the dish and add 1.5 litres of water, the saffron, cinnamon and lemons. Simmer, stirring a few times. Cover with lid and transfer to the oven. Cook for 1 hr.

3

Carefully remove the dish from the oven and stir in the apricots, dates and half the pistachios, then cover once more and return to the oven. Cook for a further 30 mins or until the lamb is very tender.

4

Transfer the dish to the hob and adjust the seasoning to taste. Mix the cornflour with the rosewater and 3 tbsp cold water, then stir into the tagine. Cook over a medium heat for 1-2 mins or until the sauce thickens. (Thickening the sauce with cornflour isn’t traditional but helps the tagine to freeze more successfully.) When ready to serve, chop the remaining nuts and sprinkle over the top. Garnish with coriander and serve with couscous or rice.