"You must remember this..."

If you recognize that quotation, then you will know what region of the world my culinary explorations have taken me to this time. Need more help? How about "Here's looking at you, kid". Yup, Casablanca. Before I get any snide comments, I know this came out in 1942 and I'm not THAT old. I'm guessing my dad made my sit through it in my youth, whilst extoling the virtues of cinema in years gone by. That's what he did with The Big Sleep and 2001: A Space Odyssey. His efforts were not fruitless, but clearly didn't achieve the desired effect, having left me with a deep hatred of both of the latter apparent cinematic masterpieces.

I did travel to Morocco once, on an extremely memorable trip with two friends after we had finished our final exams at university. It was memorable for so many reasons, most of them good, like the amazing peppermint tea, the crazy bazaar shopping and the great food. The occasional bad memories include seeing a sheep ritualistically slaughtered in the street (brought a new literal meaning to 'rivers of blood') and one of the worst cases of sunburn I have ever suffered.

Moroccan food is not something I dabble in often, and no, I don't own one of those weird cooking pot things.

Don't get me wrong, they are gorgeous looking things, but our kitchen is full to capacity, and we might have to build an extension if I can't get my cookware and cookbook addictions under control. I also generally like any kitchen equipment that I invest in to be useable for more than one dish, so I have shown a tiny morsel of will power and stepped away from the tagine. Fortunately, for this recipe, all that was needed was my trusty slow cooker. I believe that the original recipe came from Better Homes and Gardens, but again, I got a little ahead of myself with the scissors and cut off all evidence of its origin.

Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Pistachio Couscous
Serves 6

2 1/2 lbs of lamb shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1" cubes
6 carrots, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
2 medium onions, chopped
3/4 cup dried apricots, halved
3/4 cup pitted green olives
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 TBSP AP/plain flour
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups couscous
3/4 cup shelled chopped roasted pistachios
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (coriander leaves)
1 lemon cut into 6 wedges.

1. In a slow cooker, mix together lamb, carrots, onions, apricots, olives, garlic, flour, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, salt, pepper and 3/4 cup of water.
2. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
3. Cook couscous according to directions. Stir in pistachios and most of cilantro.
4. Serve tagine over couscous, sprinkled with additional cilantro and with a lemon wedge on the side to squeeze over the top.