Recipe: Mrs Venter’s Divine Moroccan Lamb Tagine đź’›
This week’s cold front has officially arrived, and with it may have come a craving for comfort food that warms the bones and soothes the soul. Lamb is an expensive meat, however, if you feel like a real treat, Mrs Venter’s Moroccan Lamb Tagine (which was served as the main course at our Matric Dance last year) is a hearty, yet healthy, meal, perfect for a family supper on a chilly, Autumn evening.
MRS VENTER’S DIVINE MOROCCAN LAMB TAGINE –Â (Serves 8)
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tspn olive oil
- 2 finely diced onions
- 3 gloves crushed garlic
- 1 medium root fresh minced ginger
- 2 tsp cayenne Pepper (10 ml)
- 3 tsp turmeric (15 ml)
- 2 tsp cinnamon (10 ml)
- 3 tsp ground cumin (15 ml)
- 2 tsp ground coriander (10 ml)
- 1.4 kg lamb, cut into cubes (We used lamb stewing meat.)
- salt and pepper, freshly ground to taste
- 1 beef stock cube
- 2 tins of chopped tomato
- 500 ml boiling water
- 150g dried apricots
- 1 x tin of drained chickpeas
- 50g toasted flaked almonds
- fresh, chopped coriander for garnish
METHOD
- Heat a large casserole pot with the olive oil and sauté onions, garlic and ginger for a few minutes, or until onions are soft and translucent.
- Add cayenne pepper, turmeric, cinnamon, ground cumin and ground coriander. Fry for a further couple of minutes to release all the aromas from the spices.
- Add lamb, season with salt and pepper and brown well. Add tinned tomato and beef stock (cubes mixed with 500 ml boiling water) and bring to a simmer.
- Cover with lid and simmer gently for 2-3 hours or until lamb is soft and tender.
- 30 minutes before the lamb is done, stir in the apricots and chickpeas and continue to cook until lamb is tender.
- Garnish with fresh coriander and scatter over the toasted almonds just before serving.
- Serve with couscous, pomegranate seeds and fresh mint mixed through, or rice.