The best lamb to use for this tagine is either boned shoulder or neck fillet. Trim away some of the excess fat before cooking. Some supermarkets sell fresh shelled peas, which are young and sweet, but frozen petits pois will also do very well. If the olives are very salty, soak them in water for up to an hour.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Heat the oil in a wide pan or casserole. Put in the onion, garlic, ginger, saffron, and meat. Cook on low heat for about 5 minutes, turning over the meat. Cover with water, season with salt and pepper and cook, covered, over low heat, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the meat is very tender, turning the pieces over once in a while.
Step 2
Add the potatoes, cutting any large ones in half. Top up the water, if necessary, and cook 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Then add the peas, preserved lemon peel cut into thin strips, if using, olives, coriander, and parsley, and cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes longer, or until the peas are tender and the sauce reduced and thick.
variation
Step 3
Young fava beans can be used instead of peas, but they will need to be cooked for at least 10 minutes.
