Moroccan Lamb Tagine

Jamie Oliver, I love you. I love your tv shows, I love your Food Revolution, and I *love* your tagine recipe. Tagine is an amazing Moroccan stew with intense, unique flavors. If you haven't used ras el hanout before, it's an awesome spice blend; each spice shop has their own variation ranging from 8-20+ spices. (I love my ras el hanout from Savory Spice Shop in Denver!) The stew needs to simmer for several hours but it's very easy to assemble and doesn't require a lot of active kitchen time. If you want to try something new, this is it!!

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp ras el hanout
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tbsp ground paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1 1/2 lbs lamb or beef, cubed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 bunch cilantro, leaves picked and stalks diced
• 14 oz garbanzo beans
• 14 oz canned diced tomatoes
• 4 cups vegetable stock

1. Make the spice rub: combine the ras el hanout, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, paprika, salt and pepper.
2. Place the meat in a large ziploc bag and add the spice rub. Shake the bag or mix it well so the meat is coated evenly.

3. Refrigerate the meat for at least 24 hours. (Trust me, this is important to let the flavor penetrate the meat!)
4. Dice the onion and cilantro stems.
5. Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat.
6. Add the meat and brown for 5 minutes.

7. Add the onion and cilantro stalks; cook for another 5 minutes.

8. Add the garbanzo beans and tomatoes.
9. Add enough stock to almost cover the meat (depending on your pot it should be 3-4 cups) and bring to a boil.

10. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 3-4 hours until the meat is tender. If the liquid gets low, add more stock.
11. Remove the lid from the pot and continue cooking on medium-high heat, stirring regularly, for about 30 minutes until the stew thickens.

12. Add salt and pepper to taste.
13. Serve over couscous and top with cilantro leaves.

Serves: 4-6