Lamb and Dried Apricot Tagine

If I had the chance to meet any living chef, Dorie Greenspan would definitely be in my top five. For one thing, the woman makes a mean cookie. And two, she's adorable. Her lovely book, Around My French Table, time and time again has provided me with warm, flavorful, oftentimes very inexpensive sustenance. Her writing is charming; to read her musings on life as an American in Paris is to feel oneself go wandering out the door and out onto the Champs-Élysées.

My favorite thing about this book is that the recipes aren't strictly the Frenchiest of French. There's influence from Spain, Italy and even (in this case) Morocco. This lamb tagine is hearty, spicy, and makes your house smell like absolute heaven as it stews away. The lamb is browned and then simmered in a delicious tomato-onion-spice concoction, studded with plumped dried apricots. Toss in a little couscous and you've got a meal to envy.

Lamb and Dried Apricot Tagine (taken from Around My French Table)

1 3/4 c chicken broth
1/4 pound plump dried apricots
Salt and pepper
6 T Olive oil
1 3/4 lb. boneless lamb shoulder, in stew-sized cubes
4 medium onions, coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves, germ removed, finely chopped
1 14 1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
1-2 small dried chile peppers
1 tsp ground coriander
2 pinches of saffron threads (yummy--but optional)
1/2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup toasted or sliced almonds

Couscous or rice for serving

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Bring the chicken broth to a boil on stovetop, then pour into a bowl. Add the apricots to the bowl and let them soak and plump while you prepare the rest of the tagine.

Put your tagine, cast iron skillet or Dutch oven on the stovetop on medium-high heat and heat 3 T of oil. Pat pieces of lamb dry, then drop them into the hot oil (working in batches--don't crowd!) Brown on all sides, about 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, lift the meat out of the pan and onto the plate. Season with salt and pepper. Pour out fat from pan, leaving whatever may have stuck. Return pan to stove, reduce heat to low, add 2 more T olive oil. When it's warm, stir in the onions and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes until on the road to being soft. Add tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes--adding a little more oil if needed.

Drain apricots and add broth to pan along with chile, coriander, pinched and crushed-in saffron, ginger, cumin, cinnamon, and 2 T of the cilantro. Stir to mix and dissolve spices, then season with salt and pepper. Spoon the meat and any juices on the plate over the vegetables and top with the apricots. Seal pan with aluminum foil, clap on lid, and slide it into the oven. Bake for 1 hour. Lift the lid and scatter in half of the almonds (reserve rest for serving). Bake for an additional 15 minutes.

To serve, spoon tagine over rice or couscous, sprinkle with cilantro and almonds. Enjoy!