Succulent and flavourful
The word "tagine" refers to both the food as well as the special clay pot used to cook this meal. The tagine dates back to the late eighth-century ruler of the Islamic empire, Harun al Rashid. Cuts of meat are paired with vegetables, dried fruits and spices, and stewed slowly for hours. The tagine pot allows steam to condense and fall back into the dish delivering a succulent and flavourful meal. It enabled the nomads of Northern Africa to cook whilst on the move. Classic tagine combinations include lamb with dried prunes or apricots, and chicken with preserved lemon and green olives; these are typically served with couscous.
4 Servings
60 minutes
Ingredients
Tagine base
- 16 dried apricots, quartered
- 2 tbsp raisins
- 350ml white wine
- 100g white onion, finely diced
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped
- 2 tsp garlic, finely chopped
- 4 cloves
- 2 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 red pepper, peeled and diced to 1cm
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 pinch of saffron stamen
- 400g chopped tomatoes
- 570ml vegetable stock
- 150g cooked chickpeas
- 1 tbsp agave
- 1 tsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
- 1 tsp parsley, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 30g toasted pistachios
[MOCK]® Lamb
- 700g [MOCK]® Lamb Pieces
- 1 tbsp ginger paste
- 1 tbsp garlic paste
- 100ml light vegetable stock
To serve
- Cooked couscous or pita bread
Preparation
Soak the apricots and raisins in the white wine for at least an hour before starting.
Take a tagine or wide casserole pan and cover the base with olive oil; add the onion, chilli and garlic, frying until soft but not too coloured. Add the red pepper and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the cloves, star anise, cinnamon stick, salt and black pepper, and pan fry for a further 3-5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir through for a further 2 minutes.
Add the saffron, agave, apricots and raisins, and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the white wine to deglaze the pan, then add the stock and chickpeas to the pot.
Prepare the [MOCK]® Lamb
Heat the frying pan to medium, add the [MOCK]® Lamb and brown all over. Add the garlic and ginger pastes and fry for 2-3 minutes; add the stock and fry for 1 min then add to the tagine.
Bring the tagine to a boil, then simmer until the sauce thickens to a rich, stew-like consistency, about 20-25 minutes. Garnish with fresh herbs and chopped pistachios.
Plating
Ladle a generous portion of tagine into a bowl on top of cooked couscous, or accompany with toasted pita bread.
Product information
[MOCK]® Lamb Pieces
Highly versatile plant-based lamb pieces that can replace meat in a variety of dishes.
