Serves 6
Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 2½ hours
Oven temperature: 160°C
• 12 dried peaches
• 250ml strong rooibos tea, hot
• 1.5kg sliced lamb neck
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken into chunks
• 10ml each ground cumin and coriander
• 5ml turmeric
• 15ml paprika
• 45ml olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 30ml tomato paste
• 250ml beef stock
• 8 whole frozen tomatoes (thawed)
• 375ml butternut or pumpkin cubes (thawed)
• 15ml honey
• fresh coriander, to garnish
1 Pour the hot tea over the peaches and set aside. Rub the lamb with the spices and oil (wear gloves as turmeric stains). If you have time, marinate the meat for an hour or two.
2 Preheat the oven. Heat an ovenproof pot and fry the lamb until well browned. Add an extra dash of oil if necessary.
3 Stir in the onions and sauté for a few minutes with the meat. Add the garlic, tomato paste, stock, dried fruit and rooibos to the meat and stir.
4 Using a sharp knife, cut a cross in each frozen tomato and peel them. Add the flesh to the pot, cover and bake for 1½ hours.
5 Take the pot out of the oven and remove the lid. Mash the tomatoes lightly with a fork and baste the meat with the sauce. Add the pumpkin, drizzle with the honey and season to taste with salt and pepper. Increase the oven temperature to 180°C and bake open for another 45 minutes to an hour or until the pumpkin is cooked and tender.
6 Serve the tagine with a sprinkling of fresh coriander and steamed couscous mixed with toasted almonds, lemon zest and mint leaves – the nuts add great texture!