The Chef

This is a great traditional Maroccan dish, full of flavour, and the recipe is for four. Serve it white a zany red wine, such as Zinfandel. You'll have to be a bit patient, as prepearation time is about 45 minutes and cooking time2 hours. And don't forget to rate it!!

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 pounds lamb meat, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 pinch saffron
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 medium onions, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 5 carrots, peeled, cut into fourths, then sliced lengthwise into thin strips
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can homemade chicken broth or low-sodium canned broth
• 1 tablespoon sun-dried tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)
• 1 tablespoon water (optional)

Directions

1. Place diced lamb in a bowl, toss with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and set aside. In a large resealable bag, toss together the paprika, turmeric, cumin, cayenne, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, salt, ginger, saffron, garlic powder, and coriander; mix well. Add the lamb to the bag, and toss around to coat well. Refrigerate at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add 1/3 of the lamb, and brown well. Remove to a plate, and repeat with remaining lamb. Add onions and carrots to the pot and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the fresh garlic and ginger; continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes. Return the lamb to the pot and stir in the lemon zest, chicken broth, tomato paste, and honey. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender.

3. If the consistency of the tagine is too thin, you may thicken it with a mixture of cornstarch and water during the last 5 minutes.