Mrouzia is a very spicy, sweet Moroccan tagine that’s traditionally made in the days after Eid al Adha.  Lamb is one of the most popular meats at this time of the year but goat and even beef is often used. One of the most important ingredients in this recipe is the Moroccan spice mixture known as ras el hanout and, of course, saffron is also vital to it’s unique taste.  Once again we find almonds in the recipe and here they can either be cooked in the sauce or they can be fried to be used as a garnish – it’s entirely up to you. Combining sweet dried fruits with savoury spicy food is typically Arabic and delicious once you’re used to it.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ kg  lamb (shoulder is certainly the best cut) cut into large cubes
• 2 medium onions, grated
• 50 blanched almonds
• 225 g golden raisins
• 3 cloves of garlic, pressed or finely chopped
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp  ras el hanout
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 ½  teaspoons salt
• 1 tsp finely ground black pepper
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp saffron threads
• 125 g butter
• 750 ml water
• 125 ml honey – or to taste

Method

• Cover the raisins with warm water and set aside to soak while preparing the meat.
• In a heavy-bottomed pot, combine the meat with the onions ,the  garlic and the spices and then add the butter and stir well – cover and allow to simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
• Keep an eye on it and stir well so that it doesn’t burn.
• Add the water to this, cover it and bring to a simmer – cook this for about 2 hours until the meat is tender at which point you add the raisins, the honey, the cinnamon and the almonds – if you need a little additional water, add a little by all means.
• Cover the pot and simmer for another 20 minutes so that the raisins are plump and the sauce has reduced sufficiently to become a thick, syrupy liquid.
• Serve with the meat in the centre of a large serving dish – try and place the raisins, the almonds and the sauce over the meat.