Soups, stews, and other slow simmered dishes are the heart of comfort food, especially this time of the year. However, December is not exactly known as a month brimming with lots of opportunities to whirl about the kitchen being the keeper of the simmering pot on the stove. Good thing a great many of us have multifunction electric pressure cookers on hand. While the Instant Pot is the most popular of these, a great many makes and models exist out there and they work very similarly. The biggest thing to know is that with 10-20 minutes of prep time invested, these amazing appliances can get you simmered all day on the stove flavor to your table with about a half hour of cooking under pressure. Cue the applause!
Can you make lamb tagine without lamb? No. But if you use cuts of tender beef, it will still be a yummy stew. I go to my favorite Turkish butcher counter to get lamb roast cut into half inch cubes for this. I also really love using a variety of chopped dried fruit for this. It mostly cooks down and helps create a thick, complex sauce. You can skip adding greens at the end, but I really like what it does for this dish. Some people also like the addition of nuts (think pistachios, almonds, or the like) and cilantro added on top of each serving. I like that, but also have additional suggestions for serving this amazing dish below.
Traditionally, this dish is served over couscous. I have been known to do that, but when the bakery adjoining the aforementioned Turkish butcher counter has homemade flatbread on hand, I pick it up and use it as an edible plate! For the plates pictured above, I also sautéed some beautiful green beans with slivered almonds. The result is a beautiful plate that absorbs all that amazing sauce as you enjoy it. Feel free to serve it over your favorite starch, of course. I'm just sharing one version that brings me joy. I hope this recipe brings you joy too!
Instant Pot Lamb Tagine
- 2 tablespoons clarified butter
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 pound cubed lamb stew meat
- 2 large tomatoes, diced
- 1 ½ cups chopped potatoes
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ⅓ cup chopped dried fruit (any combination of raisins, dates, apricots, and sultanas (golden raisins), currants, dried figs, etc.)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 cups chopped Swiss chard, kale, spinach, or other hearty greens
- Additional salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Turn on your Instant Pot (or similar multifunction pressure cooker) and select the Sauté function. Add the butter to the pot. Add the onions and cubed lamb to the melted butter; cook and stir until the lamb is browned and the onion is soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, potatoes, and garlic. Cook for another 2 minutes.
Mix in the next 9 ingredients (salt through chili flakes). Stir in the tomato paste. Add the chicken broth, dried fruit, and honey; stir until all of the ingredients are well combined.
Turn the Sauté mode off. Close and lock the lid. Set the vent to 'Sealing' and set the timer for 30 minutes at high pressure. Allow 10 to 15 minutes for the pressure to build.
After the timer has sounded, release the pressure using the natural-release method, for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes has elapsed, turn the vent and release any remaining pressure carefully using the quick-release method. Add the greens, stir well, and season with salt and pepper, if needed. Serve hot.
- Yields: 4-6 servings
- Preparation Time: 1 hour