Slow Cooker Lamb Tagine

I used to make tagine from a pre-made paste I'd buy in the co-op and my housemates would act like I'd lovingly re-created grandma's tagine. I hate to tell you this, but people in the Gulf don't cook tagines. But I liked the taste of the meal and since it was a hit I decided to learn how to make "the real" thing. The following is the adaptation I like the best so far. I think apricots balance the tartness of the black olives and impart a lovely sweetness to the rich, slightly spicy sauce.

I have a tagine pot (a gift brought back by one of my loveliest friends), but you know by now I like dumping things into the slow cooker so I can forget about it. Unless you forget to check that the slow cooker plug is switched on and come home to a still raw meal, in which case I can recommend you:
a) laugh
b) pour yourself a big glass of wine
c) put the mixture into a lidded pot or tagine in the oven for an hour, starting at 200c for the first 20 mins and then lowering to 180C for the rest of the time.

The wine/olive oil and balsamic vinegar act as a marinade so the meat will still be tender. Since this happened during an English January and our apartment is cool during the day, it wasn't a big deal that the meat was on the counter all day.

You can buy harrisa paste pretty easily in most supermarkets now. Barts do a blend, or you can check out your local ethnic store for the more fiery type, or you can get adventurous with your blender and make your own.


Ingredients:

• 500g lamb, diced
• glug of olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic
• half a jar of olives, drained
• 1 onions, sliced in rings
• half a cup of chopped dried apricots/peaches (rinsed and soaked in a little boiled water for ten minutes) 
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp corriander seeds
• 1 tsp ginger powder (fresh ginger is better if you have it, about half an inch, chopped fine)
• 1 cup red wine. I like shiraz, for the spiciness and body.
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 beef stock cube, crumbled.
• 1 teaspoon harissa paste.
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• half a cup of chickpeas, soaked overnight and boiled for ten minutes first.

Method:
Coat the meat with the harrisa paste and a little olive oil and the balsamic vinegar. Then add everything else and stir. Put in the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours.
At the end of cooking time, add about a tablespoon of gluten free flour to the sauce to thicken. Serve with rice or millet (for a couse couse substitute)

It seems like a lot of ingredients, but once your used to what goes into this dish it all comes together really fast. You can use dates instead of apricots if you prefer. This is one of my favourite meals ever. I find the tastes of sweet, tart, fragrant, and meaty balance out so well.