Lamb Tagine with Mushrooms and Olives is a delicious Moroccan style recipe with succulent lamb stewed in earthenware. It is rich in flavor, high protein and potassium, low carb and calories, healthy fats, good fiber!!
The instructions below are for either cooking with a Tagine (Moroccan earthen pot) or a regular cooking pot.
Take the tagine base and place it on a heat diffuser set over a stove. Put 2 tablespoons olive oil and heat it over medium to low medium heat for about 10 to 15 minutes, or more, until the oil is heated well.
Add the sliced onion and sauté for 10 to 15 minutes. Then add one grated garlic clove and stir.
Next add the lamb pieces and let it brown a little. The juices released will evaporate as the meat browns.
Then add all the ingredients from ginger through parsley. Sprinkle some salt as per taste and about ½ cup hot water. Place the tagine top and let the meat simmer for about 1½ to 2 hours until the meat is tender.
Half the way through the process check and add some hot water as needed to ensure that the sauce does not thicken too much and burn in the bottom of the pan.
If using a regular cooking pot, the steps will be the same except that the heating times for the oil and sautéing of onions will be shorter. And the amount of water added for cooking the meat would be more - about 1 to 1½ cups.
During simmering, make sure to place the tagine top or lid as applicable.
While the lamb meat is simmering, toss the sliced mushrooms with one tablespoon olive oil, red pepper flakes, one grated garlic clove, a pinch of salt and spread it on a foil lined rimmed baking sheet.
Roast the mushrooms for about 15 minutes or more until the juices are released, in an oven that has been preheated to 400ºF.
When the lamb is well done, check the consistency of the sauce and evaporate it if too thin or add some hot water if needed.
Then add the roasted mushrooms, black olives, quartered preserved lemon, lemon juice and stir. Adjust the salt, lemon juice and seasoning as per taste. Cover the dish with the tagine top or lid and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
Garnish with chopped cilantro. Transfer the dish to a dry wooden surface.
If using a tagine to prepare this dish, remember that the heat from the hot tagine (earthen pot) will continue to cook and evaporate the sauce even after removing the dish from the stove. So you may turn off the stove and transfer the dish before it reaches your preferred final thickness for the sauce.
Serve the lamb tagine immediately. It goes well with some fresh baked flat bread.
Notes
The Moroccan spice mix (Ras el hanout) used for this tagine recipe should be available at Mediterranean or Middle Eastern specialty stores.
Nigella seeds are also known as black seeds.
Nutrition Facts: The sodium value does not include the extra salt. Check for any added salt in spice mixes and adjust.