Tagine d'Agneau aux Cardons

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy clay tagine with diffuser or wide braising pot
• •Small knife or vegetable peeler for stripping cardoons
• •Kitchen string for herb bundles

Instructions

1. 1

   Clean the cardoons

   Pull off the leaves and tough edges from the cardoon stalks, then strip away the long strings with a small knife or peeler. Cut the stalks into 8cm pieces and drop them into cold water with the lemon juice. This matters because cardoon darkens quickly, and the strings never become tender no matter how long you cook them.

   Wear gloves if your hands stain easily. Good khorchef should feel firm and fresh, not dry or hollow.
2. 2

   Start the lamb

   Set a heavy tagine base or braising pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil, grated onions, garlic, ginger, turmeric, black pepper, saffron water, and a careful pinch of salt. Add the lamb and turn it through the spices until every piece is yellow-gold and fragrant.

3. 3

   Braise gently

   Add the parsley and coriander bundles, then pour in enough water to come halfway up the meat. Cover and cook gently for about 1 hour, turning the lamb once or twice, until it has begun to soften and the onions have melted into the sauce. Keep the flame low. A tagine forgives time better than haste.

4. 4

   Add the cardoons

   Drain the cardoons and tuck them around and under the lamb so they sit in the sauce, not dry on top. Cover again and simmer for 45 to 60 minutes, until the stems are tender when pierced and the lamb pulls easily from the bone. Add a little water only if the pot is catching.

5. 5

   Finish the sauce

   Add the preserved lemon rind and olives for the last 15 minutes. Uncover if the sauce is thin and let it reduce until glossy, saffron-gold, and spoon-coating. Taste before salting again, because preserved lemon and olives bring their own salt.

6. 6

   Serve communally

   Lift out the herb bundles and arrange the lamb in the center with the cardoons around it, then spoon the sauce over everything. Serve from the tagine or a warm platter with round khobz. The bread is not decoration here, it is how you gather the sauce.

Chef Tips

• •Buy cardoons in winter, when the stalks are firm and the market is honest. If they are limp, stringy, or dry at the cut end, cook another tagine that day.
• •Use preserved lemon, not fresh lemon, for the finish. Fresh lemon gives sharpness, but preserved lemon gives salt, perfume, and that deep citrus note Moroccan braises depend on.
• •Bloom saffron threads in warm water before they touch the pot. The powdered yellow is not saffron, and it will not give you the same dish.
• •If you use ras el hanout here, keep it a whisper. This is a cardoon tagine, not mrouzia. Buy it from someone who'll tell you what's in it, because avec le ras el hanout, on ne triche pas.
• •The scale is in the eyes, la balance est dans les yeux. Reduce the sauce until it clings to the spoon and shines, then stop before the cardoons break apart.

Advance Preparation

• •The cardoons can be cleaned up to 4 hours ahead and kept in lemon water in the refrigerator.
• •The tagine can be made 1 day ahead; reheat gently with a splash of water so the sauce loosens without breaking the cardoons.
• •Add olives and preserved lemon during reheating if making ahead, so their flavor stays bright and they don't dominate the sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 360g)