Lamb Tagine With Rutabaga and Sesame Seeds

2023, starting off strong here with a double feature. Two stews in a row this January!

If you’re new around here, the other stew favorites:

• Kalbi Jjim (2021)

• Red wine braised oxtail (2022)

• Osso Bucco / Beef Shanks (2023)

• Zahav braised brisket (passover 2020, honorable mention)

This one rounds out the collection nicely. Actually it’s a “tagine,” but since we no longer own a tagine that we kept for 4 years and never used a single time, it was made in our trusty orange 6 qt Le Creuset. Therefore it was a stew when we made it. A savory, fragrant, brothy stew that fed a crowd with minimal effort and preplanning.

We made this for a Moroccan-themed dinner party last weekend. It was originally just going to be drinks and a chill hang, but we ended up paying homage to our Tara’s Kitchen dinner from our group shore trip this past summer. Like our decision to dine there, it was a super impromptu decision. Planned it all at 9 PM the night before - and if you know me and menu planning/preparations, I put a lot of effort into thinking through the spread. This was a little rushed. But it was still good.

The spread!

The last minute menu, all from Paula Wolfert’s the Food of Morocco:

Lamb Tagine With Rutabaga and Sesame Seeds

Lentils With Swiss Chard, Butternut Squash, sans Meat Confit

Marrakech Tagine Bread

Roasted Beet Salad With Cinnamon

Fresh Tomato and Caper Salad

Cooked Wild Greens Salad

Marinated Olives

We had a vegetarian guest, so everything but the lamb was vegetarian, and we made lentils for a substantial vegetarian main. No dessert because every dessert recipe I had required nuts, and we had a nut allergy in the party too. But all in all a decent spread.

I’ll need to do more research on the cooked wild greens salad - one of the most confusing recipes I’ve ever read, admittedly to make something I’ve never seen or have a concept of in my mind for. More knowledge required.

The stew was by far the standout star. I would make it again and again. Here’s the recipe.

Sear in batches

Snug before braise

Fresh out of the oven

Lamb Tagine With Rutabaga and Sesame Seeds

1. Toss meat in spice mixture/marinade:

   • 5 lb. bone-in lamb shoulder, cut into large chunks

   • 2 Tbsp ground ginger

   • 1 Tbsp ground cumin

   • 1 Tbsp ground white pepper

   • 2 tsp ground turmeric

   • salt, a generous seasoning

   • 1/4 c saffron water (saffron strands soaked in warm water)

2. Marinate at room temperature for 1 hour OR overnight in the fridge.

3. Bloom spices: On medium-low heat, gently fry all sides of the lamb pieces for a couple of minutes on each side.

   • This is not a hard Western sear. This is to wake up the spices - don’t burn them!

4. Add to lamb and fry gently:

   • 2 medium red onions, grated (I just chopped them)

   • 1/4 cup chopped parsley

   • 1/4 chopped cilantro

5. Add water to cover the lamb about halfway, cover and bring to a boil.

6. Lower the heat to a simmer, and cook for 2.5-3 hrs, until meat is fork-tender.

   • You can also do this in the oven to save some stove space.

Veg Prep

1. While the stew is cooking, steam vegetables until tender:

   • 2 lbs rutabagas, peeled and cut into wedges

   • 8 small turnips, trimmed and cut into a similar size

   • Takes about 15 min but depends on the size you cut

2. In a skillet, melt:

   • 4 Tbsp butter

   • 3 Tbsp sugar

   • 2 pinches cinnamon

3. Add the vegetables, and sauté on high heat, stirring constantly until “lightly glazed.”

   • I took “lightly glazed” to mean slightly caramelized/browned surfaces with a nice shiny coat of butter.

4. Toast & set aside for garnish:

   • 2 Tbsp sesame seeds

Finishing the Stew

1. Let the stew cool until it’s no longer too hot to handle.

   • As always, cool your meat in its liquid.

2. Remove and discard bones and excess fat attached to the meat.

3. Skim off as much of the fat layer as possible - it’s going to be a thick fat layer.

4. Add the glazed root vegetables to the pot and stir everything together.

5. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

6. Reheat, top with sesame seeds, (and parsley for some green though it sounds a little wrong here), and serve.

Notes

• This is double what’s in the book in order to make for a “stew sized” recipe and fed 6 with plenty of leftovers.

• The original serving instructions, in a tagine, are to pile the turnips in the center of the tagine and the rutabaga around it, and reheating that way. But since we’re making it stew-style, the veg went in the stew. I think the flavors melded into the whole thing nicely.

• You can steam in a colander placed over a pot, or a plate on top of a rack in a pot. No need for a steamer.

• Not too many photos here because busy cooking and wasn’t planning on writing it up, but it’s definitely a keeper. Next time I make it, I’ll add more photos.