Lamb and Coffee Tagine

We love making this tagine. Not only does it sound fabulously exotic (it’s your next dinner party dish sorted), but its rich, aromatic juices are 100% irresistible. Seriously, give someone a big spoon of this, and they’ll be licking the plate clean.

Fuss-free and fragrant, we’ve packed this flavourful one-pot with nutritious ingredients and healthy spices. Earthy cumin is a classic lamb pairing, while the ginger and coriander wake things up with their invigorating, fresh flavours. This is a Moroccan-inspired meal you’ll make time and again!

What is a tagine?

Tagines are very similar to stews, so don’t be put off by the exotic-sounding name. The tagine gets its name from the dish it’s cooked in. The traditional Moroccan tagine has a wide, shallow base with a funnel-shaped lid. As well as being gorgeously stylish, their conical shape allows steam to circulate so that a relatively small amount is lost, giving a moist, intense stew. A pan will work just as well; one with a broad base is ideal.

Taking tagine up a notch with freshly roasted coffee

If you’ve been with us for a while, you’ll know we like using our fresh, speciality coffee in savoury recipes. It brings out the savouriness in meat and the earthiness in veg (especially root veg like parsnips and good ol’ carrots). Research has found that coffee and lamb are natural pairings, and we love the coffee/date combo, too – fragrant coffee and rich dates work so well together. We don’t mean to blow our own trumpet (or tagine), but we think our take on the traditional North African dish might be the best yet!

A make-ahead Moroccan meal

We’re not just giving you an excuse to make life easy – we’re instructing you too! Because this tagine is one of those nifty meals that improves with keeping. You can make it ahead and then leave it in the fridge, covered, for up to two days. When you’re ready to eat, just heat on the stove until piping hot. You might need to add a little more water to loosen the sauce. This coffee and lamb tagine is also a great one for freezer fans. Simply make ahead and freeze in an airtight container for up to one month, then thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating thoroughly.

Enough talking. Let’s get making a full-on-flavour coffee tagine everyone will love!

Ingredients

• 400g diced lamb
• Sunflower oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• 400ml stock
• 400ml brewed coffee
• 150g soft dried pitted dates, chopped in half
• Couscous or rice and fresh coriander, to serve

Method

Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large saucepan and brown the lamb in batches over high heat until lightly browned. Add a little more oil between each batch and transfer the browned lamb to another dish each time.

Add a little more oil to the pan, if needed, and fry the onions over low heat for five minutes until softened.

Add the carrots and cook for a couple more minutes.

Stir in the garlic, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, ginger and chilli powder, plus some salt and pepper. Stir, so the onions and carrots are nicely coated in the spices.

Return the lamb to the pan and add the stock and coffee. Bring to a simmer.

Turn the heat right down, put the lid on and leave to simmer gently for 1-1 ½ hours, or until the meat is cooked. Add the dried dates halfway through the cooking time.

Serve with rice, flatbreads or couscous and garnish with chopped coriander. Enjoy!

You’ve tried coffee and lamb. Now try coffee and bacon! It’s your next level bacon sandwich…

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