Rhubarb and Lamb Tagine
Both Moroccan and Persian culinary traditions use a
range of fruits to complement subtly spiced meat dishes and the
astringency of rhubarb perfectly balances the richness of lamb. You can
use fresh or frozen rhubarb for this dish but choose red or pink stalks
for an attractive appearance. Though the cooking time is long, the
preparation is minimal so you will have plenty of time to yourself while
the dish is cooking.
Serves 3
Time taken 2½ - 4 hours
500g diced shoulder of lamb
200g trimmed rhubarb
200ml water
1 onion
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
salt and freshly ground pepper
A clay tagine which demands long, very slow cooking, will bring out the
best of the flavours from the ingredients but a heavy bottomed pan or
casserole will do fine. For this style of dish the meat is not browned
first but the long cooking creates its own richness
Trim any very fatty bits off the lamb and put it into your tagine or
pan. Trim and chop half the rhubarb and scatter it over the lamb. Chop
the onion and add it to the meat. Pour over the water and add the
ginger, cinnamon and salt and pepper. Set on a very low heat, as gentle
as gas or electricity will go, and cook for 2 hours if using a metal
pan, at least 3 hours and preferably 4 if using a clay tagine. The
rhubarb and onion will dissolve into the sauce, which should be much
reduced, and the meat should be soft enough to eat with a spoon.
15 minutes before serving chop the remaining rhubarb into small, even
sized pieces and stir in to the tagine, allow it to soften but do not
let it disintegrate. Check the sauce, and add salt if necessary.
For authenticity serve a tagine with flat “pitta-style” bread but I have
to admit that I prefer it with cous-cous.