North African Lamb Tagine with Chickpeas
You might want to make a lamb roast for Sunday lunch. For my North African Lamb Tagine, leftovers become the hero of the dish. The sauce is rich and fragrant with sweet peppers and chickpeas. It’s loosely inspired by a classic Moroccan Tagine, reflecting the bold and colourful flavours of Marrakech.
Most of the ingredients are pantry staples. As with most stews and curries, the flavour of this tagine improves when made the day before. An overnight rest does wonders to intensify the flavours. I serve this lamb stew with a currant and herbed couscous salad, Turkish flatbreads and creamy yoghurt. This carrot and cranberry bulgur wheat salad is also rather fabulous with the lamb.
North African Lamb Tagine with Chickpeas
Serves 4-6
30 ml (2 tablespoons) olive oil
1 red onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
5 ml (1 teaspoon) ground cumin
3.75 ml (3/4 teaspoon) ground coriander
2.5 ml (1/2 teaspoon) all-spice
1.25 ml (1/4 teaspoon) dried red chilli flakes
zest of half a lemon, or a quarter preserved lemon, skin only, finely chopped
30 ml (2 tablespoons) harissa paste
5 ml (1 teaspoon) brown sugar
400 g cooked lamb pieces
375 ml tomato passata
500 ml weak chicken stock
400 g tin chickpeas, rinsed and drained
50 g Turkish apricots, roughly chopped
10 ml (2 teaspoons) lemon juice
1.25 ml (1/4 teaspoon) salt
handful fresh coriander or flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Greek yoghurt and pomegranate seeds, to finish
Start by Sautéing the Onion
Sauté the the onion in the olive oil until soft and slightly caramelised. Add the garlic and red pepper and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Add the cumin, coriander, all-spice, chilli, lemon zest, harissa paste and sugar. Dry fry the spices for a minute or two. Add the lamb pieces and stir to coat in the spice mix.
Add the passata, chicken stock, chickpeas and apricots. Place the lid on and simmer for approximately 40-45 minutes, or until the sauce is reduced and thickened. Stir in the lemon juice and season to taste.
Serve with the bulgur wheat salad and coriander or flat leaf parsley, if you prefer. Spoon spoonfuls of Greek yoghurt on top and scatter with pomegranate seeds.
