Equipment
Ingredients
Lamb and Aromatics
- 1000 g boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 4cm cubes
- 30 ml olive oil
- 2 yellow onions, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 15 g fresh ginger, grated
Spice Blend
- 1 ground turmeric, teaspoon
- 1 ground cumin, teaspoon
- 1 ground coriander, teaspoon
- 1 sweet paprika, teaspoon
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 saffron threads
- 10 g salt
- 2 g black pepper
Liquids and Fruit
- 500 ml lamb or chicken stock
- 6 seckel pears
- 30 g honey
Garnish
- 30 g blanched almonds, toasted
- 10 g fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Pat the lamb cubes dry with paper towels and season generously with the salt and black pepper.
Heat the olive oil in the tagine base or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the lamb in batches until browned on all sides, then remove to a plate.
Reduce heat to medium. Add the onions to the pot and sauté until softened and translucent, about 5-8 minutes.
Stir in the garlic, grated ginger, turmeric, cumin, coriander, and paprika. Toast the spices for 1 minute until fragrant, being careful not to burn them.
Return the lamb and its juices to the pot. Add the cinnamon stick, saffron (with its soaking water), and stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1.5 hours.
While the lamb simmers, peel the Seckel pears, leaving the stems intact for presentation. You may core them from the bottom if desired, but leaving them whole helps them hold their shape.
After the lamb has cooked for 1.5 hours, uncover the pot. Stir in the honey, then nestle the peeled pears into the liquid. Cover and continue to simmer for another 20-30 minutes until pears are tender.
Check the sauce consistency. If too thin, remove the pears and meat carefully and boil the liquid to reduce until it coats the back of a spoon. Discard the cinnamon stick.
Return meat and pears to the sauce if separated. Garnish with toasted almonds and fresh cilantro. Serve hot.
Chef's Notes
- Seckel pears are ideal because of their small size and firm texture. If unavailable, use firm Bosc pears, peeled, cored, and quartered.
- Browning the lamb thoroughly in step 2 is critical for developing the rich base flavor of the sauce (Maillard reaction).
- If using a traditional clay tagine, a heat diffuser is necessary on electric or gas stovetops to prevent the clay from cracking.
- This dish is best served with couscous or warm crusty bread to soak up the sauce.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Flavors improve significantly after 24 hours.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze without the pears if possible, as their texture may degrade upon thawing.
Reheating: Reheat gently on the stove over low heat, adding a splash of water if the sauce has thickened too much.
