Lamb Tagine, a hearty Moroccan stew incorporates savory and sweet ingredients to make a complex slow cooked comfort food dish with a richly spiced sauce. Here, dried apricots, cinnamon and nutmeg provide the sweetness, while lamb, turmeric, tomato paste and a bright garnish of herbs and pomegranate juice make it deeply savory. If you do not have a tagine, use a Dutch oven or a different large pot with a tight-fitting lid.
First, you season the lamb with kosher salt and let it rest for at least an hour. This is important! Then, before browning it, make sure to pat the pieces of lamb shoulder dry. If you skip this, the salt will pull water out of the meat, into the pan, and the meat will boil instead of brown and caramelize.
After about 2 hours add the celery, carrots and the dried fruits as well as chickpeas and continue to simmer for about 30 minutes. (If you make this in the oven, you can add it in the beginning and just forget about the whole thing)
Goes well with: couscous or rice.