Prunes. Enough said.
Lamb Tagine with Prunes
This has been a week of interesting firsts for me. On Monday I tasted my first macaron, and on Tuesday I bought my first bag of prunes ever. You may not think this is entirely exciting, and I'm sure my boyfriend would agree with you. I thank Mr. David Lebovitz for the latter of these two firsts, since he declared that this Thursday, October 27th, was officially Prune Blogging Thursday. Bold move on his part, don't you think?
I admit, I thought it was going to take some work to find an appealing recipe, but I quickly discovered that David isn't the only one who likes prunes. My grandmother likes them too.
No, but truthfully, there are a surprising number of prune-friendly recipes to be found.
Somehow (and I have long ago stopped trying to understand it) Martha exerted her domestic power over me and willed me to use one of her recipes. It's some sort of mind control thing that I am at times powerless to resist. But I couldn't help but think that if anyone knows prunes, it would have to be Martha. And so it was that I had Martha's Lamb Tagine with Prunes for dinner on Tuesday night.
I received a double dose of excitement when making this recipe, as it called for a tablespoon of Ras el Hanout. Had there been a cartoon bubble over my head when I read this, it would have contained a single question mark. I now know that Ras el Hanout is a Moroccan mix of spices, which seem to vary depending on who makes it. It was surprisingly easy to find -- mine contained a mixture of ground pepper, garlic, ginger, mustard, cinnamon, nutmeg, chili peppers, and cloves.
The tagine turned out well, and I was enthused about having tried not one, but two ingredients that had previously been absent from my pantry. That is until I looked at what was left of my dinner and realized that my plate was empty but for the many prunes that I had somehow managed to avoid with each bite of my tagine. The tagine was good, but the sweetness of the prunes overwhelmed it a bit in my opinion. By the second day, they had mellowed out quite a bit and had absorbed alot of flavour from the spices in the tagine.
So, my grand conclusion is this:
Day-one-tagine: good, but I had some prune-avoidance issues.
Day-two-tagine: pretty darn tasty, prunes and all.
The chickpeas were an element I would not do without. And please note, due to lack of availability, I omitted the butternut squash from the recipe, which I'm sure would have made a lovely addition. I served mine with couscous, Martha wrapped hers in Lavash bread.
You can find Martha's recipe for Lamb Tagine with Prunes here.
(please note the recipe fails to mention how much water to add. I added enough to cover the lamb by about an inch or so. You may want to add more if you want it saucier.)
So David, can I come over and try your macarons now?
Labels: fruit, meat and fish, Paris, recipes
posted by Michèle at 12:08 PM
10 Comments:
Michele, as an avowed prune lover, I can say with the utmost joy that this tagine sounds like a meal made in heaven to me! Prunes! Lamb! Martha! Thank you, ma cherie.
Hi Molly, well thank you so much for your comment, you seem to be the only one who likes the prunes! I can hear crickets on my blog since I posted this one.. ;) So you've made my day darling!
Hey, I like prunes too!
Well, whether or not I like prunes generally is still in question, but I know that I do like them in tagines. I told you I used to make a vegetarian tagine with prunes - I now remember it also had carrots, sweet potato, honey and sesame. I had no qualms eating it, that's for sure! Now that I'm a meat eater, I'll definitely give the lamb and prune combination a try - it looks fantastic. My mouth is watering just thinking about that spicy, meaty, pruny goodness!
Count me in the pro-prune (and pro-Martha) camp. Martha's tagine sounds like a terrific combination of flavors. I haven't looked at the recipe yet, but I wonder if preserved lemons would have helped balance the sweetness of the prunes? Sounds like a perfect dish for a party, because you could (or should, really, from your tasting notes) make it a day or two ahead.
Yay for you for trying so many new things this week! I thought I had commented on your macaroon post, but I guess not, so let me just say that I am green with envy. There is nothing like a Parisian macaroon...and the only ones I'm lucky enough to buy are the ones with that namesake...they don't even come from Paris! Yours (and Martha's) tagine sounds fabulous - she sometimes has that effect on me as well, and I have two plum trees we make prunes from every year, so this will be a perfect recipe to try. Thanks!
Hi David, well of course I know YOU like prunes, Mr. Prune blogger himself! Ok, it seems the crickets are starting to go away now. ;)
Hi Melissa, wow that vegetarian tagine sounds very sweet! Although I take it from your words that it was very good.. Im sure you could bastardize that once meat-free recipe and throw some lamb in there. The sweet potato appeals to me. In fact, I could have used that to replace the butternut squash in my recipe, what do you think?
Hi Brett, another point for Martha! I'm happy to hear it. Preserved lemons sound interesting. I've seen them listed on Moroccan recipes before but I've never used them, partly because I've never found them. Although I understand that you can actually make them at home, but I've never attempted it myself. And good thinking--it would definitely be great for guests since it can be prepared in advance!
Hi Michelle, you have your own plum trees? Very cool. So this whole prune blogging business must have been right up your alley. Although by now you must have your own plethora of recipes to make use of your prunes. What do you usually do with them?
Oh, wow! Lamb Tagine with Prunes! Another enticing recipe. I love lamb and am interested to know how this combination tastes. How interesting that the tagine tasted even better the next day!
Paz
I also love prunes. I put them in a glass container with water to cover and keep them in the fridge. After about 3 or 4 days that water becomes a thick syrup and the prunes have plumped up. I love them in the morning, three or four prunes with a tablespoon of the syrup.
Hi Paz, im glad the recipe appeals to you! And yes, it was much better the next day, but I have heard that said about many meaty stews--boeuf bourgignon etc.. so perhaps its just a general rule I should start following, if I can resist the temptation to eat it right away..
Hi Ana, the prune lovers are coming out of the woodwork! Im truly surprised. I will have to try your method, as I still have quite a few prunes left and was wondering what to do with them. Thanks for the idea!
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