Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Moroccan Lamb Tagine

Moroccan Lamb Tagine
Lamb is one of Mr MLT's favourite dishes.  It doesn't really matter what form it comes in, as long as it's lamb.  It took me a couple of times to get the balance right before I was happy to post this recipe, so at one point he had lamb for lunch and dinner 5 times during a 3 day period.  I think even he would like a break from it now!

I played around with a couple of different cuts of meat - lamb shanks, lamb neck and then lamb shoulder chops.  Both the shanks and the neck were just too fatty for my liking - the end result was far too oily.  The shoulder chops are a good in between option.

This does make a lot, so it's a great meal if you're feeding a couple of extra mouths.  I find it really handy to have during the week - I can make it in the morning and put it into the fridge.  Then I just pop it into the oven 2 hours before we're ready for dinner.  There's generally enough for leftovers for all of us the next night and the flavours are even better the day after (just ask Paul!).



Moroccan Lamb Tagine

(Adapted from a Bill Granger recipe)

Ingredients:

*  800g-1kg lamb shoulder chops
*  1 spanish onion - peeled and halved
*  2 cloves garlic
*  15g peeled ginger
*  2 long red chillies - deseeded and chopped in halves
*  20g olive oil
*  1 tsp tumeric
*  1 tsp ground cumin
*  1 tsp cardamom pods
*  1 cinnamon stick
*  60g palm sugar
*  30g fish sauce
*  4 large ripe tomatoes - roughly chopped
*  4 kaffir lime leaves (or 2 bay leaves and a dash of lime juice)
*  400g water
*  4 tsp vegetable stock concentrate
*  85g prunes
*  30g cranberries
*  400g chick peas - drained (or 1 cup dried chick peas soaked overnight and rinsed)
*  1 large potato - washed, (unpeeled) and roughly chopped into cubes
*  1 sweet potato - washed, (unpeeled) and roughly chopped into cubes
*  130g cous cous

Method:-

1.  Brown lamb in a large saute pan for 2 minutes either side.  (Do this in at least 2 batches - if you crowd your pan the meat will stew, rather than brown.)

Whislt the lamb is browning, start the sauce in your Thermomix. 

2.  Add onion, garlic, ginger & chilli to TM bowl.  Chop for 3 seconds on speed 5.

4.  Add olive oil and saute for 3 minutes at 100° on speed 1.

5.  Add cardamom, cumin, cinnamon and tumeric.  Saute on reverse for a further 3 minutes at 100° on speed 1.

6.  Add palm sugar, fish sauce, tomatoes, lime leaves, water, stock, prunes and cranberries.  Cook on reverse for 6 minutes at 100° on speed 1.

7.  Once the meat is finished browning, wipe away any excess fat from the saute pan.  Return the meat to the pan and add in chick peas, potato and sweet potato.  Pour the sauce over the top and cover.  (It's best to use a pan which has an accompanying lid, but if you don't have one just tightly cover with alfoil.)

Ready for the oven
8.  Place into a preheated 160° oven and bake for 2 hours.

9.  About 15 minutes before serving, boil some water and pour over the cous cous.  Soak for about 5 minutes.  Spray a piece of baking paper with water and lay it over the Varoma tray.  Spread the cous cous out over the baking paper, sit the tray on top of Varoma receptacle and cover with the lid. 

10.  Cook the cous cous for 10 minutes at Varoma Temp on speed 1.  When finished, lightly fluff the cous cous with a fork and a touch of butter.

Serve cous cous with tagine and prepare yourself to be adored by any lamb-loving male in the vicinity.

Enjoy!

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