Marka jelbana bel karnoun — lamb with peas and artichokes in a light turmeric and lemon broth

meat Tunisian Jewish · regular · 160 min, including 35 hands-on

The marka safra of Tunisian Jewish cooking: meltingly tender shoulder in a golden turmeric and tabil broth, fleshy artichoke bottoms, potatoes that soak up the juices and peas added at the end, all lifted by lemon and fresh coriander.

Ingredients for two

Method

1. Pat the lamb cubes dry with kitchen paper and season with 2 g salt. Chop the onion and crush the garlic. Leave the artichoke bottoms and peas in the freezer: they go into the casserole frozen. Heat the oil in a 22 cm casserole over a medium-high heat. Sear the lamb in a single layer, with space between the cubes (in two batches if the casserole is too small), for 4 minutes without moving it, then turn and brown for another 4 minutes: the surfaces should be brown, not grey. Set the meat aside on a plate.
2. Reduce the heat to medium and soften the onion in the pan juices for 6 minutes, stirring, until translucent with golden edges, without letting it catch. Add the garlic, tomato purée, tabil, caraway, turmeric, harissa and pepper; stir for 1 minute until the tomato purée darkens and turns glossy and the spices smell fragrant without browning. Pour in 350 g hot water, scraping the bottom with a spatula.
3. Return the lamb and its juices, add the remaining 5 g salt, bring to a simmer and cover. Cook over a low heat for 1 hour 30 minutes: the liquid should come two-thirds of the way up the meat, without covering it. After 1 hour, check that the liquid still reaches halfway up the meat; add the reserved 100 g hot water only if the bottom is catching. While the lamb simmers, peel and quarter the potatoes, juice the half-lemon and pick and finely chop the coriander leaves.
4. Pierce the lamb: a fork should go in with almost no resistance. If it is still firm, cook for another 15 minutes before adding the vegetables. Put the potato quarters into the broth, then add the still-frozen artichoke bottoms, hollow side up. Once the broth starts bubbling again, cook over a medium-low heat for 15 minutes, partially covered: the broth reduces as the vegetables cook.
5. Add the frozen peas between the artichoke bottoms and cook uncovered for another 8–10 minutes. Check that a knife tip goes easily through the artichokes and potatoes and that the peas are tender. Do not stir; simply shake the casserole to avoid breaking the artichokes.
6. Taste the broth and adjust the salt. Pour in the juice of the half-lemon and add the chopped coriander; simmer for 1 minute. There should be only a little golden broth, still fluid, about two small ladlefuls; if there is considerably more, reduce it over a high heat for 3–5 minutes without removing the vegetables. Give each person half the vegetables and meat, generously spooned with broth, with bread for mopping up.

On your plate

Cooking tips

Allow an extra 15 minutes if the shoulder pieces are particularly thick. Frozen artichoke bottoms save the work of trimming whole artichokes and cook evenly. You can prepare the lamb a day ahead (steps 1–3), cool and refrigerate it; bring back to a simmer before adding the potatoes and vegetables on the day of serving. Add the lemon at the end to keep its fresh flavour and avoid dulling the peas. Some families finish the dish with dill instead of coriander.

Equipment : 22 cm casserole with a lid, spatula, ladle, vegetable peeler

The marka safra of the Jews of Tunis, a springtime dish for Passover and special occasions, made here with frozen artichoke bottoms.