Lamb tajine without a tajine **

This is pure sunshine in your plate, and it goes wonderfully well with couscous and red wine.








For 3 persons:

- 750gr lamb meat (shoulder is fine), chopped into 5cm chunks
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, mashed
- 1 glass of white wine
- 1 small teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 small teaspoon cinnamon powder
- about 5 seeds of cardamon (peeled and crushed)
- 4 dried figs, cut in quarters
- 6 dried apricots, cut in half
- 3 pieces of dried tomatoes, chopped (not too big, they can be quite salty)
- salt, pepper, chili powder (about 1/2 teaspoon)
- chopped almonds and dried coriander (optional)

In a frying pan or a wok, brown the lamb chunks with a bit of olive oil. Set aside.
In a big pan, sauté the chopped onion and garlic with another tablespoon of olive oil, until translucent.
Add the browned meat, cumin, cinnamon, cardamon, white wine, figs, apricots, dried tomatoes, chili powder, salt, pepper.
Add enough water to cover up the meat, and cook over very low heat for about 2 hours, with the lid on (just leave a small opening).
You can then remove the lid and increase the heat, and let the sauce reduce for about half an hour, or until it has the consistency you like.