Neck of lamb with Essaouira mrouzia

Ingredients

• 2 kg neck of lamb, cut into even slices
• 50 g lamb kidney fat, chopped
• 1 large onion, sliced
• ¼ tsp saffron
• 1 tsp ras el hanout
• ½ tbsp ginger
• ½ tbsp turmeric
• 1 tsp pepper
• ½ tsp cubeb pepper
• ½ tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 5 cl cooking oil
• 10 cl olive oil
• 1 l water
• For the mrouzia:
• 300 g blanched almonds
• 300 g beldi raisins from Essaouira

Method

1. Seed the raisins and soak them in a little water for 15 minutes.
2. Dissolve all the spices except the cinnamon in a large glass of water and marinate the meat in it for 2 hours.
3. Sweat the onion in both oils in a large pot over a very low heat for 5 minutes.
4. Put the meat and marinade on top of the onion, add the chopped kidney fat and the cinnamon and pour in the water.
5. Cook covered until the meat is very tender and the sauce smooth.
6. Take the pot off the heat and skim off the cooking fat with a large spoon.
7. In a pan over a low heat, cook the drained raisins and the almonds in this fat, stirring, until the raisins are glossy and the almonds golden.
8. Serve the meat hot, topped with the mrouzia of raisins and almonds.