Pour sufficient boiling water over the apricots to just cover them and leave to soak. Place the meat in a large heavy casserole or better still a tagine if you have one. Sprinkle over the spices, the grated onion and the butter cut into small pieces. Place the casserole over a low heat and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the butter melts and the spices give off their scent - the meat should not brown. Tie the herbs together in a bunch and add them to the pot. Pour in just enough water to barely cover the meat. Bring to the boil then turn down the heat and leave to simmer gently for 1 hour.
Now add the apricots to the tagine, together with their liquid and salt to taste. Cook for a further 30 minutes, until the apricots are plumped up. Taste to check the seasoning, remove the bunches of herbs and serve with flat bread.
