Moroccan Lamb Tagine

If I want to impress my guests I usually whip this recipe out of the bag, this is dish is particularly delicious if made the day before.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 lbs diced lamb
• 2 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp turmeric
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp of maldon sea salt
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground Cinnamon
• 4 minced garlic cloves
• one diced onion
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 4 carrots thickly sliced on diagonal
• 4 tbsp of apricots
• 2 tbsp runny honey
• 50g flaked almonds
• 100g cous cous
• 1 tbsp Kerrygold butter
• Generous handful chopped Corriander
• 1 tsp of olive oil
• pinch sugar
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 1 250g tub Greek yogurt (to serve)
• 4 mini pitta breads (to serve)
• lemon wedges (to serve)

Method

1. Combine all the spices, garlic and onion and rub into the meat
2. Leave to marinate, preferably overnight, although an hour should be sufficient.
2. In a lidded oven proof casserole dish, add the butter and olive oil on a medium heat.
3. Brown the meat, in batches if necessary.
4. Add all the meat back into the casserole dish, adding the carrots, tinned tomatoes, sugar, and tomato paste, salt and pepper.
5. Bring up to the boil and put lid on the dish and put in a preheated oven for 1.5 hours at 180 degrees.
6. Meanwhile, put cous cous in a bowl, add butter, rind of lemon, season with salt and pepper and pour over 150 mls of boiling water and cover for ten mins.
7. Fluff with a fork, adding half the chopped coriander.
8. Put apricots in a jug of boiling water and leave for 5-10 mins for them to rehydrate a little and get nice and juicy, then cut in half.
9. Put the flaked almonds on a baking tray and toast in the oven, keeping an eye on them as they can burn in matter of seconds.
10. Remove the casserole dish from the oven and add the apricots and almonds and runny honey.
11. Return the dish (uncovered) to the oven for a final 20 mins to brown.
12. Put the pittas in the oven to warm through.
13. Remove the dish from the oven and present to the table in the dish adding the chopped coriander.
14. Put the cous cous, yogurt and pittas in bowls on the table and let your guests help themselves, Moroccan style! Enjoy.

(This recipe tastes even better reheated the following day)