Originally a Persian dish – but now a speciality of Fez. You can adjust the amount of fruit used and may prefer to use less the first time you prepare it.
Ingredients as follows:
1 kilo of lean lamb ( cubed ), 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon , 2-3 tablespoons of ground ginger, a little butter, 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, 3 medium onions finely chopped, 300 grams of prunes ( the lovely stoned ones in the sealed foil bags are wonderful), 1/4 spoon of saffron ( optional ), 2 tablespoons of honey, a good teaspoon of ground coriander, salt and black pepper.
Turn the meat in a little hot butter (olive oil if preferred) in a heavy based pan. When lightly brown, add onions cook gently, and cook for a minute or two until softened , add ground ginger, saffron, cinnamon,coriander and a little salt, and plenty of black pepper, stir gently until nicely covered. Transfer to a casserole dish, cover with a good beef stock and cook in oven until meat is tender, approximately 2 hours, starting at 180c for 10 minutes then turn down to 160c for the remaining time. Now add the prunes and honey and cook gently for a further 20 minutes or until needed. At this point it can be turned off and reheated when required – so great for dinner parties – just remember to make sure it’s piping hot before serving with love.
Egyptian,and Moroccan cooks often sprinkle a little orange blossom water ( can now be found in health food shops or delicatessen ) and roasted sesame seeds over the meat before serving.
Nice to serve with fluffy white rice or little crispy potatoes and a bowl of freshly cooked spinach.
This is a fragrant dish and can be prepared with various fruits, apples,quince, pears, or apricots, again the sealed foil bag ones, are best for the apricots. It is a great dish to prepare the day before as the flavour enhances .
I do hope you enjoy this classic Middle – Eastern dish.
