Tajine d'agneau au safran de Taliouine — Taliouine, Morocco

This version of tajine sets lamb to simmer with saffron used generously — not as a background note but as the dominant flavour and colour of the dish, poured on as an infusion rather than merely sprinkled over the pot. It comes from Taliouine, a town in the Anti-Atlas known across Morocco as the country's saffron centre. The crocus fields around it flower briefly in October, and picking the flowers and separating the pistils by hand, mostly before sunrise while the blooms are still closed, is reported as work that supports much of the town. Lamb — shoulder or a mix of cuts — is browned in butter and a little oil with sliced onions, garlic, ginger and cinnamon. Saffron pistils are steeped for about a quarter of an hour in a little hot water, and this infusion, rather than dry threads, goes into the pot along with more water; the tajine then simmers gently, covered, until the meat pulls apart easily and the sauce reduces to a deep golden color. The dish is finished with almonds fried in butter and scattered over the top, and some cooks add prunes or slowly cooked onions for a touch of sweetness against the saffron. What marks this tajine apart from other lamb tajines of the region is the sheer quantity of saffron used and the resulting depth of both color and scent, rather than any difference in the base technique.