# Mrouzia



## cape chef (Jul 31, 2000)

Or _( Lamb Tagine with raisin, Almonds, and Honey)_

For some strange reason today I started thinking about Morocco, maybe because I had a fun time in that thread way back when 

My friend from work is Moroccan, and I have a friend in the kitchen from North Africa. They started telling me about a celebration called _Aid el Kebir_ The feast of the slaughter of the lamb. On these occasions they explained that familys would have an amazing amout of meat to deal with, and refridgeration was a luxury.

I wanted to share this recipe with yoall because I found it very interesting that the lamb is kind of preserved, it is very sweet and usally served as part of a Diffa (we discussed that a long time ago)
Anyway, here is the recipe, I hope you try it out.

*3 pounds lamb neck, cut into about 10 pieces with some bone left in.* 
*Salt to taste* 
*1 1/2 teaspoons ras al hanout* 
*1/4 teaspoon ground ginger* 
*1/2 teaspoon fresh milled black pepper and a pinch of crushed saffron* 
*1 3/4 cups blanched, whole almonds* 
*2 cloves garlic, chopped* 
*3 small cinnamon sticks* 
*1/2 cup sweet butter* 
*1 pound of raisins* 
*3/4 cup dark, heavy honey, such as Greek Mount Hymettus* 
*1 tablespoon ground cinnamon*

1. Place the lamb in a casserole. Mix the salt, ras el honout, ginger, pepper and saffron with one cup of water and rub it into each piece of meat. Add the almonds, garlic, cinnamon sticks, butter, and 2 cups of water. Bring it to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Add more water, if nessesary to avoid burning the meat.

2. Add the raisins, honey and ground cinnamon and continue cooking 30 minutes

3. Uncover the caserole and, over high heat, reduce the sauce, turning the meat and fruit often, until there is only a thick honey glaze , coating the meat

That's it..sounds good.
I would serve this with cous cous, and an aged Madira


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## marmalady (Apr 19, 2001)

Yum, CC - My mouth is watering - I adore the sweet/spicy flavors of moroccan food. So many different taste hits going on at the same time. It reminds me of the complexity of Mexican moles.


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## ziggy (May 14, 2001)

this sounds yummy! Greek Easter is only a week away...this looks like a great way to break the fast!

thanks for sharing.......


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