On My Plate: Ourika Valley

What: Lamb tagine with prunes

Where: Ourika Valley, Morocco

When I think of prunes, I don’t normally think of dinner. However, this gem of a dish brought me around to say the least. Juicy chunks of fresh lamb braised to perfection in a quintessential (and unbelievably delicious) Moroccan tagine. The prunes virtually melt from the slow cooking, making a caramel-like sauce with an intense flavour that had the perfect mix of sweet and savoury flavour. This was only part of a five course meal, at a restaurant with beautiful views over the valley’s orange groves. Dessert was, you guessed it, oranges plucked right from the trees out back.

Mike Poppe just returned from a trip to Switzerland, where we assume that the equivalent of a tagine is simply a giant clay pot full of melted chocolate.