Blame it on Rioja

Photos and styling: Lisa Leonard Lee

I opened my inbox yesterday to find that my friend Lisa had not only taken the time to write down the recipe for the wonderful lamb tagine Violeta and I enjoyed with her and her husband Billy at their home in Greenpoint, Brooklyn Sunday night, but also made the dish again to test the recipe and take these lovely photographs!

“The photo I took of the tagine on Sunday was horrid,” she wrote me. “So I decided to remake the tagine, for my own culinary edification, and to get you a proper recipe, with photo.”

There is a special place in my heart for perfectionists.

“It turns out just as well cooked in a tagine - in fact it keeps the heat from fluctuating,” she added, referring to the fact that she made Sunday’s version in a Le Creuset Dutch oven and the second version in a classic, cone-shaped terra-cotta tagine.

“I wish I could have delivered this lamb in person.”

Me too.

Luckily for me, Sunday’s lamb still lingers in my memory, and when it begins to fade, now I have the tools to make it for myself.

LAMB TAGINE
Recipe, food styling, and photographs by Lisa Leonard Lee
Serves 4

2 Tbsp. clarified butter or canola oil

1 1/2 lb lamb shoulder, trimmed of fell and excess fat, cut into 2 inch pieces

1 medium onion, diced (about 1 1/2 Cup)

2 Tbsp. peeled and finely chopped ginger

1/2 tsp. aleppo pepper

1 1/2 tsp. ground sumac

1 3-inch piece cinnamon bark

3 green cardamom pods

1 pinch of saffron

1 cup chicken stock or water

1 bay leaf, torn

10 whole pitted prunes

10 whole Turkish apricots

2 tsp. orange flower water

8 ounces baby spinach leaves, washed and stemmed

1/4 cup cilantro leaves, washed and picked over

2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1. In a large non-reactive pot, Dutch oven or Tagine heat the clarified butter or oil over medium heat. Meanwhile, season the meat well with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.

2. When hot but not smoking add the meat to the pan, working in batches, so as not to overcrowd the pan. Sear the meat on both sides until well browned, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Remove meat to a bowl and sear remaining lamb.

3. When all of the lamb has been browned, pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat and add the onions, ginger, aleppo, sumac, cinnamon, cardamom pods and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until just soft, about 5 min.

4. Add the chicken stock to the pot, scraping up the browned bits or fonds de braise. Add the lamb and it’s juices with the torn bay leaf and saffron back to the pot along with 1 cup of water or enough to cover the lamb 3/4 way with liquid.

5. Bring the liquid up to boil and immediately reduce it to a simmer, skimming the scum and fat from the surface. (If using a Dutch oven or pot, place a piece of parchment large enough to fit snuggly over the meat and up the sides of the pot to keep the condensation of the braising meat in contact with the braise.)

6. Cover the pot or tagine with the lid and cook for about 1 1/2 hours, checking at 30 minute intervals that the braise is at a steady simmer and not boiling.

7. After 1 1/2 hours add the prunes and apricots to the lamb and continue to simmer for another 30 minutes or until the meat is tender when pierced with a knife.

8. Just prior to serving, fold the spinach into the lamb and let it stand, allowing it to wilt. Add the orange flower water and season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove cardamom pods, cinnamon stick and bay leaf before serving.

Wine Recommendation: Contino 2000 Rioja Reserva

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 6th, 2007 at 3:43 pm and is filed under Food pairings, General, Lamb, Recipes, Red Wine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.