Moroccan Lamb Shoulder with Prunes and Almonds

👨‍🍳 Method

To assemble

1. 1
   Season the lamb pieces with the salt, black pepper, cumin, turmeric and cinnamon.
2. 2
   Heat the oil in a wide pot and brown the lamb pieces on all sides. Remove to a plate.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveWide, shallow pot

   💡Brown the meat in batches, without crowding: in a crowded pot it stews in its own juices instead of searing.

   💡What you brown (meat, patties, schnitzel) goes into hot oil: in lukewarm oil it soaks it up and comes out greasy. For onion and garlic that you soften, oil heated over medium or low heat is enough; do not wait for it to smoke.
3. 3
   Add the onion to the oil left in the wide pot and fry 5–8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStoveWide, shallow pot

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
4. 4
   Add the garlic and fry about 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Garlic burns quickly and turns bitter. Add it only after the onion has softened, over medium heat, and add the next ingredient as soon as it smells fragrant.
5. 5
   Add the ginger and fry 30 seconds, until fragrant.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove
6. 6
   Add the water and bring to a boil.

   Stove
7. 7
   Return the lamb pieces to the pot.
8. 8
   Turn down to low, cover and simmer 1½ hours, until the lamb pieces soft.

   ⚙ SimmeringStoveLid

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
9. 9
   Add the prunes and honey and cook another 30 minutes.

   Stove
10. 10
    Toast the almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat about 5 minutes, stirring, until they turn golden. Scatter them over the top before serving.

    ⚙ Dry-Pan ToastingStoveFrying pan

    💡Toast over medium heat and keep things moving: nuts, pine nuts and spices go from toasted to burnt in seconds. Transfer to a plate right away, since the hot pan keeps toasting.
11. 11
    Serve with the cilantro.