Name: Mishmishaya (Middle Eastern Lamb Ragout with Apricots)
Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Cuisine: Morocco
Ingredients: 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped almonds or sesame seeds for garnish; 3 to 4 cups Lamb or Chicken Stock; ¾ pound dried apricots; ¼ cup hot stock or water; 1½ teaspoons ground coriander; 1 teaspoon saffron threads; Salt and freshly ground pepper; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; ½ cup unsalted butter; ⅓ cup olive oil; 1 cup dark or golden raisins; 2 large onions, diced; 1½ teaspoons ground cumin; 3 pounds lamb shoulder, trimmed well and cut into 2-inch cubes; ½ teaspoon ground ginger; 1 to 2 tablespoons honey (optional); ½ cup olive oil

Preparation info

Serves
6 to 8

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Mediterranean Kitchen

By Joyce Goldstein

Published 1998

About

The combination of meat and fruit is very popular in the cuisine of the Middle East. The Iraqi lamb and dried fruit stews, Moroccan tagines, and Persian khoresh are closely related. We Americans, with our predilection for sweets with our meats (witness our love of turkey with cranberry relish, roast chicken with watermelon pickle, pork chops with applesauce), should find this recipe a natural.