Lamb & Squash Tagine

Ingredients

1 pound lamb leg or shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1-inch cubes

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cinnamon sticks

2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks

½ cup dried fruit (prunes, raisins, dates, figs or apricots)

½ cup fresh cilantro leaves

1 cup couscous, prepared

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, toss lamb with flour; season with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven or other large, heavy-bottomed saucepan (at least 5 quarts), heat oil over medium-high. In two batches, cook lamb until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch; transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium, add onion, garlic, and tomato paste to pot; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion has softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add cinnamon sticks, 4 cups water, and reserved lamb (with any juices that have accumulated); bring to a boil.

Cover pot and transfer to oven; cook until lamb is just tender, about 1½ hours. Add squash, return to oven, and cook until squash is tender, about 30 minutes more. Remove cinnamon sticks, stir in dried fruit, and season with salt and pepper. Serve with cilantro and couscous. As seen on wholeliving.com.

Wine Pairing: Pueblo del Sol Tannat, $10.99