Wallaby Tagine with Almonds and Fruits

Isn’t it fabulous to take a recipe you love and adapt it to your circumstances! Here in southern Tasmania wallaby is so cheap; usually $6 / kg. I buy a whole carcass (only about 2 - 3 kgs) and cut it up myself as the meat is all tender and delicious and does not require any butchery knowledge!

Here I have adapted a traditional Moroccan tagine recipe to use wallaby, some of my own bottled apricots and dried plums. I served it last time with some of my freshly baked sourdough bread…. an international sensation!

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons of almonds

5 spring onions, chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 cms of fresh ginger, grated

a pinch of saffron fronds

2 cinnamon sticks

2 teaspoons of coriander seeds, ground

500g of wallaby, cubed (or shanks etc)

12 stoned plums, soaked in a little boiling water  

6 bottled apricot halves

3-4 strips orange rind

1 Tbl honey

a handful of mint or coriander leaves

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Heat the oil in the base of a tagine (or casserole).  Add the almonds and cook, stirring until they turn golden.  Add the onions and garlic and sauté until they begin to colour.  Stir in the ginger, saffron, cinnamon sticks and coriander seeds.  Toss the meat into the tagine and sauté for 1-2 minutes, stirring to make sure it is coated in the onion and spices.

Pour in enough water to almost cover the meat and then bring to the boil.  Reduce the heat, put the lid on the tagine and simmer for one hour, until the meat is tender.  Add the plums and liquid, apricots and orange rind, put the lid back on and simmer for a further 10 minutes.  Stir in the honey, season with salt and pepper, cover and simmer for a further 5 minutes.

Make sure there is enough liquid in the pot as you want the sauce to be syrupy and slightly caramelised, but not dry.  Stir in half of the fresh mint or coriander leaves, then serve immediately, sprinkled with the remaining mint or coriander and accompanied by couscous (made with wheat or quinoa) or some good sourdough bread.