Stewed Lamb Tangine

If I were the post it leaving kind of person this is what I put on my post its around the office:

Please replace the toilet paper when the roll is empty.  I realize the holder looks complicated, but really all you have to do is pinch the two tabs in!

I swear every time I go into the restroom at work the toilet paper holder is empty.  Pretty sure this means no females in the office know how to work the toilet paper holder!

For heavens sake - someone eat the last doughnut!

Nobody wants to be the person who snags the last doughnut in the box...so instead the doughnut sits in the box for days until somebody decides to throw it away.

Please check your stack of papers before leaving the copier to make sure you aren't taking anyone else's copies!

I swear I print things all the time, get up immediately to get it, and it is gone when I get to the printer - so I go back to my desk hit reprint...and low and behold when I return my original copy is sitting right there...

There are four trashcans located in the conference room, please see that your empty bottles and cans make it into them.

After a meeting I go into the conference rooms and there are empty cans and bottles all over the table!  It drives me bananas that people are adults and haven't learned the skill of throwing things away yet - ahhh!


Such a slow week at work - I find myself really dwelling on these minute little things.  Hopefully work will pick back up for me soon!  In the meantime I am going to share with you this yummy recipe for Lamb Tangine.  Don't let the fancy words scare you : )  A few years back I visited my friend from high school in Boston, and when I arrived at her home after a long plane ride she had a delicious pot of chicken and chickpea Moroccan stew waiting for us - so yummy.  I was thinking about that recently and decided it would also taste good made with lamb - and lo and behold it is an actual dish.  I was uber apprehensive about trying out a weird ethnic dish - they never seem to work out for me - but this one was a winner!  I adapted this recipe from Epicurious.com, made it a little bit simpler to follow and execute.

"Tangine" is actually a kind of pot that looks like this: 

Wikipedia definition coming up....

"Moroccan tajine dishes are slow-cooked savory stews, typically made with sliced meat, poultry, or fish together with vegetables or fruit.^[4] Spices, nuts, and dried fruits are also used.^[5] Common spices include ginger, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, and saffron. Paprika and chili are used in vegetable tajine. The sweet and sour combination is common in tajine dishes like lamb with dates and spices. Tajines are served with couscous or bread. Because the domed or cone-shaped lid of the tajine pot traps steam and returns the condensed liquid to the pot, a minimal amount of water is needed to cook meats and vegetables. This method of cooking is very practical in areas where water supplies are limited or where public water is not yet available."

Stewed Lamb Tangine

1 can chickpeas - drained and rinsed
5 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 TBS olive oil
3 pounds cubed lamb shoulder
Kosher salt and pepper to season
1 large onion, diced
5 tsp Ras-el-hanout spice blend* recipe to follow - use whole recipe
1 TBS chopped fresh ginger or 1 tsp ground ginger
1 cup canned diced tomatoes with juices
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
fresh cilantro

Place chick peas, 2 cloves of garlic, and cinnamon into a small saucepan.  Add water just to cover.  Boil and reduce heat to low, and set aside.

Heat oil in large pot.  Season lamb with salt and pepper.  
Working in batches, brown lamb over medium high heat on all sides, about 4 minutes per batch. Transfer lamb to a medium bowl. Add onion to pot; reduce heat to medium, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until soft and beginning to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Add chopped garlic, Ras-el-hanout, and ginger. Stir for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and lamb with any accumulated juices. Bring to a boil. Add 2 1/2 cups stock. Return to a boil, reduce heat to low, partially cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until lamb is tender, about 45 minutes on a higher heat or over a lower heat 1 hour 30 minutes.  Stir in chickpeas; simmer until heated through, about 10 minutes.  Add apricots and cook for 5-10 minutes.  Spoon couscous onto a large, shallow platter, forming a large well in center. Spoon tagine into center. Sprinkle cilantro over.  I didn't have couscous, so I just used rice...use whatever you have!

Ras-el-hanout spice blend

1 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds or 3/4 tsp ground coriander

3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds or 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric