And, because I’m not like most people, I try out new recipes to celebrate. But they are for me and Ben, not Leela. Don’t worry Corinne, I’m not feeding your cat people-food.  My new recipe was for the North African dish Tagine.

Lamb Apricot Tagine

Ingredients:

– 1.2 kg stewing lamb, cut in bite-size pieces
– 18 dried apricots
– 1 kg carrots, peeled and cut in inch-thick rounds
– 0.5 kg zucchini (optional), cut in bite size pieces
– 1 lemon
– 3 yellow onions, chopped
– 2 garlic cloves, diced
– 1/2 tbsp dried coriander
– 3 tbsps olive oil
– 1 tsp honey
– salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, toss together the lamb, apricots, carrots, zucchini, onions, and garlic in a large bowl. Add the zest from the lemon.
2. Add the coriander, oil, honey, and salt and pepper. Stir carefully. Add all the ingredients into your tagine or casserole dish, and add 1/3 cup water.
3. Cook for 1.5- 2hrs. The longer the better! Taste and season again with salt and pepper if required. Add the juice of one lemon.

Serve with couscous.

*note: this recipe serves 6, but my tagine dish is for 2-3 people. Be aware of the size of the tagine or baking dish you choose to use.

About the tagine dish: Be sure to follow the instructions about using your tagine dish safely! Before you use it, I recommend soaking it in cold water over night to avoid cracking during the cooking process. Additionally, before you place your tagine in the oven, fill it with warm water until you are ready to add your ingredients.