| Ingredients
serves 4
800g diced lamb (ask for it to be cut into generous pieces)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed & chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp saffron strands
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 cinnamon stick
1 small red chilli, thinly sliced
300ml lamb or chicken stock
2 tbsp ground almonds
75g dried apricots
75g dried prunes
1 can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1 sweet potato, peeled & diced
50g almond slivers
juice of 1 lemon
salt, pepper
couscous + olive oil
4 tbsp chopped coriander
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Method
1 Heat the oil in a casserole and cook the chopped onions, saffron threads and garlic over a gentle heat for 5 minutes. Turn the heat up and add the diced lamb - brown it all over - then add ground cinnamon, cinnamon stick, turmeric, and very thinly sliced chilli together with some salt, fry a further couple of minutes before pouring in the stock. Bring to simmering point then cover and cook gently for 1 -1½ hours..
2 By now the lamb is already tender and the aromas of the stew are mouth-wateringly good. Remove the lid and fold in the diced sweet potato, dried apricots, prunes and ground almonds (this will thicken the sauce), cover and cook a further 15 minutes then fold in the chickpeas, simmer for a further 5 minutes then add lemon juice and adjust seasoning if necessary.
3 Ten minutes before the end of cooking time, dry roast the almond slivers in a frying pan for a couple of minutes to golden, set aside. Heat 750ml of water to boiling, pour in 375g instant couscous and cook gently for 1 minute, cover and leave to stand for a further 4 minutes then add olive oil, chopped coriander - or mint - plus some seasoning to taste.
4 Divide and serve your fragrant lamb over couscous in warmed bowls and scatter with toasted almond slivers. |
