Dish of Lamb, Celery & Carrots Tagine
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Tagine of Lamb, Celery & Carrots


Morocco   -   Tagine Makalli bil Karfas bil Kreezoe
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 4 w/couscous
***
2-1/4 hrs
Most		 Tagines, aromatic stews, are often served with Couscous which has been steamed over the stew - see recipe Couscous but they go fine with rice or more conventional pasta.

1-1/2
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1
3
1/4
1/3
1/4
1
1/2
2
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1
8
8
1/4
1/2
ar
#
---
cl
oz
t
t
t

t
T
---
c
oz
oz
c


Lamb (1)
-- Aromatics
Garlic
Onions
Pepper, black
Ginger, ground
Turmeric
Saffron, pinch
Salt
Olive Oil, ExtV
-----------
Water
Celery (2)
Carrots, young
Olives, black (3)
Preserved Lemon (4)
Lemon Juice
Make   -   (2-1/4 hrs)
  1. Cut LAMB into chunks about 1-1/2 inches on a side.
  2. Crush GARLIC and chop fine, grate ONION or chop very fine.
  3. Place Lamb in in a coverable enameled iron casserole or spacious stainless sauté pan. Mix in all Aromatic items and 1 c Water. Bring to a boil and simmer tightly covered for 1-1/2 hours or until very tender, stirring frequently and making sure it doesn't dry out.
  4. Shave strings from CELERY (if needed) and cut in half lengthwise (or thirds if quite large), then into 2 inch lengths. Peel CARROTS and split in half lengthwise (or quarters if very large) and cut into 2 inch lengths to match Celery. Mix.
  5. Pit OLIVES.
  6. Cut PRESERVED LEMON into strips about 1/4 inch wide and remove seeds. Some discard pulp, others don't. I just cut out the center strand with shears.
  7. Squeeze LEMON JUICE.
  8. When Lamb has simmered until very tender (1-1/2 to 2 hours), stir in Celery Mix and add water if needed. Simmer another 10 minutes.
  9. Stir in Olives and Preserved Lemon. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes.
  10. Stir in Lemon Juice. If you have left the pulp on the preserved lemon use 1-1/2 T, if you used only the peel use 2 T. Take off heat.
  11. Arrange Lamb in the center of a platter. Arrange Vegetables around (or just leave it all mixed and say the servants took the day off) and keep hot.
  12. Quickly boil down liquid to a light sauce consistency (if not already there) and pour over Lamb and Vegetables. Serve hot with Couscous or Rice.
NOTES:

  1. Lamb:

      Weight is for boneless lamb with all excess fat removed. Mutton and goat can also be used. The problem with all these is the ratio of fat and bone to meat. Yields run from 45% to 52%, usually closer to 45%. Do use the bones and fat to make soup stock. Mmodern practice includes the fat, because it has been found much of the flavor in fat is water soluble, and the fat is easily removed using a gravy separator.

  2. Celery:

      This is supposed to be tender inner stalks, but if what you have is large stalks, use a vegetable peeler to strip the strings off the back. If medium, it's probably enough to just run the peeler down both edges.

  3. Olives:

      Moroccan olives or salt/oil cured Greek or Turkish olives. Don't use canned black olives, they're completely different. Don't bother with an olive pitter - they don't work. Just whack the olive with the side of your prep knife enough to break it open. The pit will remove easily.

  4. Preserved Lemon:

      This is an essential North African ingredient. Jars of Preserved Lemon can be found in markets serving North African, Levanitne or Middle Eastern communities - or much better, make your own per our recipe Preserved Lemons. It's easy but it takes a few weeks for fermentation time. Most recipes use only the peel, but some leave the pulp on.
  5. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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