Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless lamb shoulder, cut to 2-inch pieces (see notes)
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
- 4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 2 cups white wine
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 yellow onion
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1 lb frozen artichoke bottoms or hearts, thawed
- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped, divided
- 1 lb green fava bean (see notes)
Instructions
- Pat dry the meat and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
- Heat a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. When the pot is very hot, add 2 Tbsp oil and sear the meat in one layer on both sides until it is nicely browned.
- When all the meat is seared, add white wine to the pot and add enough water to convert the meat. Add cinnamon and turmeric and mix. Bring to boil, then cover the pot and reduce the heat to low, for a low simmer. Cook for 2-2½ hours, until the meat is very tender. Remove from the heat.
- Peel the onion, cut in half and slice each half to thin half-circles. Slice the garlic cloves. If you’re using artichoke bottoms, cut each bottom into 4 sections.
- Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a heavy bottom pot over medium-high heat and quickly fry the artichokes for about 6-8 minutes until golden. Transfer the artichoke to a bowl and set aside.
- Add the onion to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes, until golden, add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute longer. Mix in about half the cilantro.
- Add the cooked meat on top of the onion and sprinkle with a little salt. Arrange the fava beans and fried artichokes on top of the meat and sprinkle with another tsp salt. Gently pour the liquid you used to cook the meat in on top of everything, until the artichokes and fava are about half covered.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook without a cover for 30-45 minutes, until the veggies are tender and the liquid has thickened. Make sure the stew is on low simmer, that you see small bubbles all the time. Taste and adjust salt as needed.
- Sprinkle with the rest of the cilantro before serving.
Notes
- The traditional tagine recipe does not include wine. I have added the wine for extra depth of flavor.
- This stew is made traditionally with lamb. You can use boneless lamb shoulder or boneless leg of lamb. If you prefer, use beef boneless short ribs cut into 2-inch sections instead.
- You can use frozen green fava beans, preferably not skinned (they are often sold with the thin skin of each bean removed.) If you find fresh ones, you can use them in their pods, but only if the pods are very thin and tender, which are very rare to find in the U.S. If you cannot find fava beans, you can use green peas instead, but add those only for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours 15 minutes-4 hours
- Category: Main
- Method: Slow-Cook
- Cuisine: Sephardi