Lamb Tagine with Prunes and Almonds

Cut the lamb into 5 cm pieces on the bone, or ask the butcher to do it. Toss the pieces with the ginger, the ground cinnamon, turmeric, saffron, black pepper and 1 teaspoon of the salt until every piece is coated. Leave it at room temperature while you finely slice the onions.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy casserole or tagine base over medium-high heat and brown the lamb in two batches, about 5 minutes a batch, until the pieces have a dark crust on at least two sides. Crowding the pan steams the meat instead, so give it room. Lift the lamb out onto a plate.

Turn the heat down to medium, add the butter and the finely sliced onions with a pinch of the remaining salt and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring often and scraping up the spiced sediment, until the onions are soft, golden and collapsing. Crush the garlic, add it and cook for 1 more minute.

Return the lamb and any juices to the pot. Tie the coriander and parsley into a bundle with kitchen string and tuck it in with the cinnamon stick, then pour in the water, which should come about two thirds of the way up the meat. Bring to a bare simmer, cover and cook very gently for 2 hours, turning the pieces once or twice, until the lamb pulls apart under a fork.

Meanwhile, cover the prunes with warm water and leave them to swell for 30 minutes, then drain.

Toast the almonds in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a small frying pan over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking the pan, until pale gold all over. They colour fast at the end and keep browning off the heat, so tip them onto kitchen paper straight away.

Lift out the lamb, the cinnamon stick and the herb bundle. Boil the remaining liquid hard for 8 to 10 minutes until it has reduced to a dark, glossy sauce that coats a spoon.

Add the drained prunes and the honey to the sauce and simmer uncovered for 8 minutes, spooning the sauce over them, until they are shiny and swollen but still whole. Stir in the orange blossom water, if using, off the heat. Taste and season with the rest of the salt.

Slide the lamb back in, turn it through the sauce and warm it for 2 minutes. Scatter over the almonds and sesame seeds and serve straight from the pot, with the bread if you like.