Mutton shoulder tagine

Slow cooking produces meltingly tender mutton and a crowd pleasing tagine.

Ingredients

For the tagine

• 1 mutton shoulder, on the bone
• olive oil, for rubbing
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 3 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 pinches saffron strands
• 2 preserved lemon rinds, quartered, flesh discarded
• 1 head garlic
• 2 x 400g/14oz cans chopped tomatoes
• 4 red onions
• 2 red chillies
• 600ml/1 pint lamb stock

To serve

• 1 bunch fresh coriander
• 1 bunch fresh mint
• olive oil, for drizzling
• couscous

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2.
2. For the tagine, rub the mutton shoulder with olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place a large lidded casserole over a high heat and fry the shoulder on all sides, or until golden-brown all over. Add the coriander seeds, cumin seeds, star anise, cinnamon stick, saffron, lemon rinds, garlic, chillies, chopped tomatoes and stock.
3. Cover the casserole with a lid and place into the oven to cook for 3 hours, or until the lamb is meltingly tender.
4. Remove the casserole from the oven and season the braising liquid with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
5. To serve, roughly chop the coriander and mint and stir into the tagine. Drizzle over some olive oil and serve with couscous.