Lamb with Prunes

- 2 pounds shoulder of lamb, cubed and trimmed of excess fat, or cut into 6 pieces
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon powdered saffron
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon Salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 large onion, finely chopped or grated
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 12 ounces California pitted prunes, soaked for 1 hour
- 1-3 tablespoons honey (optional)
- OPTIONAL GARNISHES
- 3 tablespoons lightly toasted sesame seeds
- ½-1 cup lightly toasted blanched almonds, left whole or coarsely chopped
Instructions:
Tagine barkok, made with or without honey, is one of the most popular fruit tagines of North Africa. It is eaten with bread. Restaurants in Paris accompany it with couscous and bowls of boiled chickpeas and boiled raisins.
- Put the meat in a pan with the oil, ginger, saffron, half the cinnamon, the salt, pepper, onion, and garlic.
- Cover with water and simmer gently, covered, for 1½ hours, until the meat is very tender, adding a little water as required to keep the meat covered.
- Add the prunes and the remaining cinnamon and cook 30 minutes, until the liquid is reduced to a thick, unctuous sauce. Stir in the honey, if using, and cook 10 minutes more.
- Garnish, if you like, with toasted sesame seeds and almonds.