Spiced duck & date tagine

Duck legs are stewed in a slow cooker with rich Moroccan spices until meltingly tender – serve over fluffy couscous or rice

Prep:15 mins
Cook:5 hrs 20 mins

Serves 6
Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 527
fat 20g
saturates 3g
carbs 30g
sugars 27g
fibre 5g
protein 53g
salt 0.5g

Ingredients

2 tsp sunflower oil
6 duck legs, skin removed
1 large onion
2 garlic cloves
1 red chilli, deseeded
thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp coriander
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
2 preserved lemons, halved, pulp and pith scooped out and discarded
200g dates
400ml passata
100g blanched almonds, very roughly chopped
mint leaves, to serve
couscous, to serve

Tip

Using the oven

If you don’t have a slow cooker, this recipe can be cooked in the oven – follow step 1, then place in the oven for 4 hrs at 160C/140C fan/gas 3 until the duck is meltingly tender and the sauce is intensely flavoured.

Method

Heat the slow cooker on Low. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan and brown the duck legs in batches until golden. When all the legs are done place in the slow cooker. While you’re browning the duck, put the onion, garlic, chilli, ginger, spices and preserved lemon in a food processor and blitz to a chunky paste. Tip the paste into the hot pan and cook for 5 mins to soften. Meanwhile, add half the dates to the processor with 200ml water, and blitz until smooth. Cut the remaining dates into chunky pieces. Tip the onion paste and all the dates into the slow cooker, add the passata, season, stir, cover with the lid and cook for 5 hrs (or up to 7).
Scatter the almonds into the tagine and stir. Serve with couscous, scattered with mint leaves.