Organising a Moroccan-themed dinner party? Be sure to serve your guests this delicious lamb tagine with prune and almonds - they won't be disappointed! Best served with our vegetable and chickpea couscous.
2 level tsp each coriander seeds, cumin seeds and chilli powder
1 level tbsp each paprika and ground turmeric
5 garlic cloves, chopped
6Tbsp. olive oil
1kg (3lb) lamb leg steaks
75g (3oz) ghee or clarified butter (see tip)
2 large onions, finely chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
900ml (11⁄2 pints) lamb stock
300g (11oz) ready-to-eat prunes
4 each cinnamon sticks and bay leaves
50g (2oz) ground almonds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 shallots
1Tbsp. honey
Toasted almonds and chopped flat-leafed parsley to garnish
Directions
Step 1
Blend together the coriander, cumin, chilli powder, paprika, turmeric, garlic and 4tbsp oil in a pestle and mortar or a blender. Coat the steaks with the paste and cover and chill for at least 5hr or overnight.
Step 2
In a large flameproof casserole, melt 25g (1oz) ghee, add the onions and carrot and cook until soft, then remove and put to one side. Fry the lamb on each side in the rest of the ghee.
Step 3
Add a little of the stock to the casserole and bring to the boil, scraping up the sediment from the bottom. Return the onion and carrot to the casserole and add 100g (31⁄2oz) of the prunes.
Step 4
Add the remaining stock to the pan with the cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and ground almonds; season. Cover and cook at 170°C (325°F) mark 3 for 2hr or until the meat is really tender.
Step 5
Meanwhile, fry the shallots in the rest of the olive oil and the honey until they turn a deep golden brown. Add to the casserole 30-40min before the end of the cooking time.
Step 6
Take the lamb out of the sauce and put to one side. Bring the sauce to the boil, bubble and reduce to a thick consistency. Return the lamb to the casserole, add the remaining prunes, then bubble for 3-4min. Garnish with almonds and flat-leafed parsley.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
