Water, to cover the meat Salt, to tast Intro. Tagines are Moroccan slow-cooked meat, fruit & vegitable dishes which are almost invariablely made with mutton. Using lamb cuts down the cooking time, but if you can find good hogget (older than lamb, younger than mutton, commonly labelled "baking legs" and sold cheaply) that will do very well.
1.In a large saucepan gently fry the onion in the olive oil until soft, add the meat to the pan and cook until it changes color, then add the spices. Add water to just cover the meat and salt to taste. Cover and simmer gently until the meat is tender, about 1 1/2 2 hours. (Displace the lid a little after an hour if there appears to be too much liquid.)
2.Add the pears to the meat together with the sultanas & almonds. Cook for a further 5 minutes or until the pears are soft. Serve with rice.