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Tagine bil khorchef
طاجين بالخرشف (tagine bil khorchef): Moroccan lamb tagine with cardoons, preserved lemon and olives
In late winter and spring, when wild cardoons (khorchef) appear in the markets of Fez, Meknes and Rabat, Moroccan families cook them into this lamb tagine for a family lunch, eaten with bread to mop up the sauce. Lamb shoulder is simmered slowly with onion, ginger, saffron and turmeric until tender, then the peeled cardoon stalks are added and finished with preserved lemon and green olives, giving a tangy, faintly bitter, artichoke-like sauce. The usual mistake is not peeling and soaking the cardoons properly: the stringy outside must come off and the stalks must sit in lemon water, or they go brown and taste harsh. Artichoke hearts are a good stand-in. Chef's tip: reduce the sauce uncovered at the end until it is thick and oily, the sign of a well-made tagine.
- Total time
- 155 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ lb lamb shoulder on the bonecut into large pieces
- 2 onionsgrated
- 3 cloves garliccrushed
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 pinch saffron threadscrumbled
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp fresh coriander and parsleychopped
- 2 ½ cups water
- 1 lemonjuiced
- 1 preserved lemonpeel only, cut into strips
- 3 ½ oz green olivesrinsed
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put the 2 ¼ lb lamb shoulder on the bone in a tagine or heavy casserole with 2 onions, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tsp ground ginger, ½ tsp ground turmeric, ½ tsp black pepper, 1 pinch saffron threads, 1 tsp salt, 3 tbsp olive oil and half the 2 tbsp fresh coriander and parsley. Stir over a medium heat for 8 minutes until the meat is coated and smells fragrant.
10 minStep 2: Add the 2 ½ cups water, cover and simmer on a low heat for 1 hour 15 minutes, until the lamb is nearly tender.
75 minStep 3: Meanwhile trim the 1 ¾ lb cardoons (or 8 artichoke hearts), peel off the stringy outer layer with a peeler and cut into 8 cm lengths. Drop them straight into water with the 1 lemon juice so they don't darken.
20 minStep 4: Drain the cardoons and lay them over the lamb. Cover and simmer 30 minutes until a knife slides into them easily. (Artichoke hearts need only 15 minutes.)
30 minStep 5: Add the 1 preserved lemon and 3 ½ oz green olives and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes until the sauce is thick and glossy and the lamb pulls easily from the bone.
10 minStep 6: Scatter with the rest of the 2 tbsp fresh coriander and parsley and serve in the pot with bread.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 44 g
- Carbs
- 16 g
- Fat
- 31 g
- Fibre
- 9 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tagine bil khorchef take?
- About 155 minutes in total: 35 minutes to prepare and 120 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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