Season the lamb: Toss 900 grams boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 4 cm chunks with 2 tablespoons ras el hanout and 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt until every piece is coated. Leave it on the counter while you prep the aromatics — 20 minutes is plenty, and it takes the chill off so the sear goes better.

Sear in batches: Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy Dutch oven or tagine base over medium-high. Brown the lamb in two or three batches, giving each piece room. Four minutes a side, deep color, no stirring. Crowding steams the meat and you lose the fond. Pull each batch to a plate.

Build the base: Drop the heat to medium. Add 2 medium onions, sliced thin to the pot with the rendered fat and cook until soft and starting to color, scraping up the browned bits as they release. Add 4 garlic cloves, minced and 1 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated for a minute, then 2 tablespoons tomato paste and 1 tablespoons harissa. Let the paste darken for two minutes before anything wet goes in.

Braise: Return the lamb and any accumulated juices. Add 500 milliliters chicken or lamb stock, 1 cinnamon stick, and 1 tablespoons honey. Bring to a bare simmer, cover, and hold it there for two hours — stovetop on the lowest burner, or a 150C oven if you want to walk away. The surface should barely move. A hard simmer will tighten the meat.

Add the fruit and beans: Stir in 150 grams dried apricots, halved and 1 can chickpeas (400 g), drained and rinsed. Cover partly and cook another 40 minutes. The lamb should give way under a spoon, the apricots should be plump, and the sauce should coat rather than pool. If it's still thin, pull the lid entirely for the last 10 minutes.

Rest and finish: Fish out the cinnamon stick. Let it sit off heat for 15 minutes — the sauce tightens and the spice settles. Taste for salt, then scatter 50 grams sliced almonds, toasted and 1 cups cilantro, roughly chopped over the top just before it goes to the table.