Lamb and date tagine recipe

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1.5 kg boneless lamb shoulder, fat trimmed, cut into 5 cm pieces

625 ml (2 1/2 cups) chicken stock

2 tomatoes, coarsely grated

1 large brown onion, coarsely grated

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tablespoon honey

1 x 2cm cinnamon stick

Large pinch of saffron threads

85g (1/2 cup) dried apricots

85g (1/2 cup) pitted dates, sliced

25g (1/4 cup) flaked almonds

1/3 cup fresh coriander sprigs

Cooked couscous, to serve

Directions:

Combine paprika, cumin, ginger, ground coriander and cayenne pepper in a glass or ceramic bowl. Season with pepper. Add the lamb and toss to coat. Cover and place in the fridge overnight to marinate.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Transfer the lamb mixture to a 2.5L (10-cup) capacity ovenproof dish. Stir in the stock, tomato, onion, garlic, honey, cinnamon and saffron. Bake, covered, for 2 1/2 hours or until the lamb is almost tender.

Stir in the apricots and dates. Season with salt. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until sauce thickens and lamb is tender.

Meanwhile, cook the almonds in a large frying pan over medium heat for 3 minutes or until toasted. Set aside to cool.

Transfer the lamb mixture to a serving dish and sprinkle with coriander sprigs and almonds. Serve with the couscous.