Dinner · 480 min · mediterranean

Tanjia

This is the kind of Mediterranean dinner you’ll make on repeat — beef shank and preserved lemon, 480 minutes, big payoff. Each serving lands at 685 calories with 61g of protein, so it eats like a much heavier meal. No specialty equipment and nothing hard to find at a regular grocery store.

✓ USDA-verified nutrition data

Ingredients

• 3 lb Beef shank
• 2 Preserved lemon
• 1 head Garlic
• 2 tbsp Cumin
• 1 tbsp Ras el hanout
• 3 tbsp Smen
• 1/2 tsp Saffron
• 1/4 cup Olive oil

Steps

1. Rub the beef with cumin, ras el hanout, saffron bloomed in warm water, and salt; pack into a tanjia urn or a heavy Dutch oven with a tight lid.
2. Tuck in the whole garlic head, quartered preserved lemons, and smen — no water added, the meat cooks in its own juices.
3. Seal the lid with dough or foil and cook at 250°F for 7 to 8 hours, undisturbed — tanjia is Marrakesh’s slow gift, traditionally buried in hammam ashes overnight.
4. Unseal and check: the meat should fall from the bone and the sauce be a rich, unctuous glaze.
5. Skim excess fat if you like, though the richness is the point.
6. Shred the meat into the sauce and serve with crusty bread for sopping.
7. Bachelor’s stew of the Marrakesh medina: beef, patience, and preserved lemon performing quiet magic.

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