Ingredients
1 pound lamb (shoulder or neck)
1/2 tbls Ras-El-Hanout
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Pinch of saffron threads
1 onion (grated)
1/2 cup (75 grams) dried raisins
3 tbls extra virgin olive oil
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tablespoons of honey
Almonds (whole raw)
Fried almonds (whole blanched)
1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Method
First make the marinade. In a bowl combine all the spices. Ras-El-Hanout, ground ginger, a large pinch of saffron, salt, and pepper. Add a little bit of water and mix well. For the meat, you can use lamb shoulder or neck – if you do not like lamb you can use beef instead. Pour the marinade over the meat, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight if you can.
When you are ready to cook the meat, do the following: peel and cut the onion, then grate it using the big holes of a grater. Place the raisins in a bowl and cover them with hot water for 1-2 hours so they become soft.
In a heavy pot, drizzle the olive oil over medium heat, add the grated onion, mix, and cook for a couple of minutes. Now add the meat with all the marinade, and brown the meat from all sides cooking meat for around 5 minutes until it changes color, this will help hold the flavors into the meat.
Once the meat is browned, add 2 cinnamon sticks to the pot, and cover the meat with water. Increase the heat to medium-high, cover the pot, and cook until the meat is tender! This can take up to 2 hours meanwhile you have to check on the meat every 20 minutes or so. Stir the meat, keep adding hot water, and just check on it until it’s done.
When the meat is done, which means it is very soft, you can easily cut it with a knife add the drained raisins. Remove the cinnamon sticks and add the honey that brings this dish together.
Uncover the pot, and continue cooking on medium-high for around 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens and becomes syrupy.
To plate it, first place the meat, put the raisins in the middle on top of the meat, pour the sauce on top and around the meat, then top the entire thing with fried almonds!!! Serve with Moroccan bread or French baguette.