Mary Berry’s Lamb Tagine with Chickpeas

This classic lamb tagine is seasoned with warming spices and preserved lemon for an added tangy flavour. This recipe comes from Mary Berry's BBC 2 series Mary 90
Introduction
A tagine is a traditional Moroccan dish that is full of flavour. A richly spiced neck fillet of lamb is the perfect cut, when cooked gently for a couple of hours. Serve this with couscous and broccoli or your preferred green vegetable.
Find all of the recipes from Mary 90 on BBC 2 in our recipe round-up, updated weekly.
Ingredients
2 tbsp | sunflower oil |
1kg (2lb 4oz) | lamb neck fillet, sliced into 5cm (2in) pieces |
2 large | onions, thinly sliced |
1½ tbsp | ground cumin |
1½ tbsp | ground coriander |
1½ tbsp | ground cinnamon |
1 tsp | tumeric |
3 | garlic cloves, grated |
2 tsp | freshly grated ginger |
1 × 400g can | chopped tomatoes |
2 tbsp | tomato purée |
300ml (½ pint) | lamb or chicken stock |
2 tbsp | runny honey |
1 × 400g can | chickpeas, drained and rinsed |
150g (5oz) | soft ready-to eat apricots, quartered |
2 | preserved lemons, sliced into small pieces |
Small bunch of | coriander, leaves roughly chopped |
Essential kit
You will need: a large, deep, ovenproof frying pan or flameproof casserole.
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C/140°C Fan/Gas 3.
Measure the oil in a large, deep, ovenproof frying pan or flameproof casserole with a lid over a high heat. Fry the
lamb in batches until golden brown all over. Set aside.
Add the onions to the pan and fry for a few minutes (add a little more oil, if needed). Sprinkle in the spices and fry for a few seconds. Add the garlic, ginger, tomatoes, tomato purée, stock, honey, chickpeas, apricots and preserved lemons. Stir well.
Return the lamb to the pan and bring the sauce up to the boil, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and ground black pepper, cover with a lid and transfer to the oven for 2 hours or until the lamb is perfectly tender. Stir the tagine, and if the sauce is a bit thick, add a little water to slacken it.
Sprinkle with the chopped coriander to serve.
Mary’s Tips
Can be made up to 2 days ahead. Add the chickpeas when reheating.
Freezes well without chickpeas.
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