Mrouzia - Sweet Lamb Tagine

Ingredients

• 1 pound (500 grams) lamb or beef meat (shoulder or neck)
• 1/2 tablespoons Ras-El-Hanout (Moroccan spice mix)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• Large pinch of saffron threads
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 onion (grated)
• 1/2 cup (75 grams) dried raisins
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Whole raw almonds
• 2 tablespoons (28 grams) butter
• 1 teaspoons smen (clarified butter) - optional
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• Fried whole (blanched) almonds

• Directions

  1. Step 1: Marinating the Meat
     
     1-  First, let’s make the marinade! In a bowl combine all the spices. We have Ras-El-Hanout, (the famous Moroccan spice mixture than can have more than 20 spices in it), Ground ginger, a large pinch of saffron, salt, and pepper. Add a little bit of water and mix well.2- For the meat, you can use lamb shoulder or neck – if you do not like lamb you can use beef instead.2- Pour the marinade over the meat, cover, and refrigerate for a few hours or even better overnight if you can. 
  2. Step 2: Preparing the Ingredients
     1- 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. 
     2- Place the raisins in a bowl and cover them with hot water for 1-2 hours so they become soft.
  3. Step 3: Making Mrouzia
     1- Now we are ready! Let’s make Mrouzia! In a heavy pot, drizzle the vegetable oil, add the butter and smen (which is clarified butter) and melt over medium heat. 2- Add the grated onion, mix, and cook for a couple of minutes. 
     Bon appetite!!!, 
  4. 3- Now add the meat with all the marinade, and brown the meat from all sides – Which means, cook the meat for around 5 minutes, until it changes color, this will help lock the flavors into the meat. 
  5. 4- 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… but in the meantime, you have to check on the meat every 20 minutes or so.
  6.  Stir the meat, keep adding hot water, and just check on it until it’s done. 
  7. 5- When the meat is done, which means it is very soft, you can easily cut it with a knife – I mean just taste it, you will know, add the raisins that of course, you drained from their water.
  8.  Remove the cinnamon sticks, we do not need anymore. And add the amazing honey that brings this dish together.
  9. 6- Uncover the pot, and continue cooking on medium-high for around 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens and becomes syrupy. 
  10. 7- Our Mrouzia is ready! 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!!! YUM!!! Serve with Moroccan bread or French baguette, and you can call it a success!