Lamb tagine with tomato and almond balls

Name: Lamb tagine with tomato and almond balls (Tajine d’agneau aux tomates et boules d’amandes)
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: Moroccan
Ingredients: pinch of saffron; 1 tsp ground ginger, or finely chopped fresh ginger; ½ tsp ground white pepper; 1 tsp each ras-el-hanout and turmeric; 2 cinnamon sticks; 1 bay leaf; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; dash of olive oil, plus extra for sautéing the almonds; about 500 ml (18 fl oz) water; bunch of flat leaf parsley, tied; 2 kg (4 lb 4 oz) tomatoes; 2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped; 1 heaped tbsp granulated sugar; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1½ kg (3 lb 3 oz) boned shoulder of lamb, cut into large chunks; large knob of butter; 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) blanched almonds, plus 12–15 extra; 100 g (3½ oz) sesame seeds

Tajine d’agneau aux tomates et boules d’amandes

Preparation info

Serves
6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The North African Kitchen

By Fiona Dunlop

Published 2008

About

Although testing to prepare, the end result of this tagine makes it well worth the effort. It is one of Aicha’s more unusual recipes; she confesses to getting bored with the straightforward ones.

Ingredients

large knob of butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1½ kg (

Africa
Morocco
Marrakech
Mediterranean
Gluten-free
North Africa

Method

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan and cook the lamb over a medium heat until it is lightly browned. Add the onion, spices (apart from the ground cinnamon), bay leaf, parsley and the water to cover. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer over a low heat for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until the lamb is cooked through. Check the mixture occasionally and add