Slow Cooked Spicy Lamb Casserole with Couscous

Cooking this lamb slowly and with these amazing spices is the secret to this fantastic recipe. Rustic though it may be, it is superb in taste and flavour. It is important to trim the fat off the lamb when cooking it for this amount of time and at a low heat. This is an alternative to you roast lamb and potatoes, but will satisfy you in the same way.

1kg diced lamb shoulder

2t ground cinnamon

2t ground cumin

1t ground turmeric

1T smoked paprika

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

2T olive oil 

2 onions, roughly chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2t freshly grated ginger

3 cups vegetable stock

820g chopped tomatoes

150g dried apricots, halved

2 bay leaves

4T flaked almonds

1/2 cup chopped coriander

1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

450g couscous

1/2t salt

2 cups stock that has been heated to a boil

25g butter melted

2T olive oil (for the couscous)

Mix the cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, nutmeg and paprika. Placed the cubed lamb in a bowl and sprinkle over half of the dried spices, tossing the meat so that each piece is coated. Cover the bowl with a tea-towel and leave to rest for at least four hours or overnight.

Heat the oil in a large casserole dish and brown the lamb in batches.

Add the onions, garlic, ginger and remaining spices. Cook the onions. Then add the apricot halves and soften them slightly.

Pour the chopped tomatoes, bay leaves and stock into the dish. Add the lamb and increase the heat, bringing the contents to the boil. Place the lid on the casserole  and reduce the heat. Simmer for 90 minutes or cook in the oven at 160C for the same amount of time.

Ten minutes before the casserole is cooked, put the couscous and salt into a bowl and add the hot stock. Cover and leave to soak for five minutes or cook as per the instructions.

Uncover the couscous and fluff up into separate grains with a fork.

Mix the melted butter and olive oil. Pour over the couscous and stir to coat it evenly. Cover until ready to serve.

To serve, scatter the chopped coriander, parlsey and flaked almonds over the top and serve with the couscous.

Tip: this can be cooked as tagine in a tagine pot. Add some fresh chillies at the same time as the garlic and ginger for extra heat.