Lamb Tagine with Cinnamon, Saffron, and Dried Fruit

Warm cinnamon and saffron combine with coriander and cumin to lend complex flavor to this Moroccan-style dish. Adding the spice paste in two stages gives depth and brightens the flavor. Leaving the cinnamon whole keeps its influence subtle. Moroccan tagines tend to be warmly and sweetly spiced rather than hot. This festive dish is served over couscous to soak up the delicious gravy.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 cup tagine and 3/4 cup couscous)

Ingredients

• 1/4  cup  diced seeded Anaheim chile
• 1  teaspoon  cumin seeds, toasted
• 1  teaspoon  coriander seeds, toasted
• 1  teaspoon  grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  paprika
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black peppercorns
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• Cooking spray
• 1  (1 1/2-pound) boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cubed
• 3  cups  chopped onion
• 1/2  cup  tomato purée
• 2 1/2  cups  water
• 2 3/4  cups  green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch-thick strips
• 2  cups  cubed butternut squash
• 1  cup  cubed carrot
• 1/4  teaspoon  saffron threads
• 1  (3-inch) cinnamon stick
• 2/3  cup  dried apricots, cut into 1/4-inch strips
• 4 1/2  cups  cooked couscous
• 1/4  cup  minced fresh cilantro

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325°.

Combine first 8 ingredients.

Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add lamb; cook 8 minutes on all sides or until browned. Remove lamb from pan. Add onion to pan; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Stir in half of chile mixture and tomato purée; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in lamb and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes.

Wrap handle of skillet with foil, and bake, covered, at 325° for 1 hour. Stir in bell pepper, squash, carrot, saffron, and cinnamon. Cover and bake an additional 40 minutes. Stir in remaining chile mixture and apricots. Cover and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick; serve over couscous. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

420 (13% from fat)

Fat:

5.9g (sat 1.9g,mono 2.2g,poly 0.8g)

Protein:

31.4g

Carbohydrate:

61g

Fiber:

8.3g

Cholesterol:

73mg

Iron:

4.9mg

Sodium:

372mg

Calcium:

91mg