Recipes

Lamb, Sweet Potato & Okra K’dra

Lamb, Sweet Potato & Okra K’dra

Couverts6
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Equipment

  • heavy-based saucepan

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons smen or ghee
  • 3 onions finely sliced
  • 3 teaspoons coriander seeds
  • 3 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • pinch saffron threads
  • 500 g lean lamb cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1.2 litres hot lamb or chicken stock
  • 2 sweet potatoes peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 15 g butter
  • 250 g okra fresh
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • salt

Instructions

  • Heat the smen, or ghee in a large copper pot or heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat.
  • Stir in the onions and cook for 1,5 minutes until they begin to soften.
  • Add the coriander seeds, cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, saffron and lamb and mix well.
  • Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and cook gently for 10 minutes.
  • Add the sweet potatoes and butter, re-cover and cook for a further 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, place the okra in a non-metallic bowl, pour over the lemon juice and leave to stand for 10 minutes, then drain.
  • Add the okra to the pan and simmer for a further 5–8 minutes until cooked through but still retaining a crunch.
  • Season with salt.
  • Serve the lamb and vegetables with couscous, if liked, pouring the sauce into a bowl to serve separately.

Notes & Wine Advice

For buttered okra with preserved lemon,

place 450 g okra in a non-metallic bowl, pour over the juice of 2 lemons and leave to stand for 4 minutes, then drain well. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in the base of a tagine or a large, heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat, add the okra and cook for 4–5 minutes until it is tender. Stir in the sliced rind of 1 preserved lemon and season. Pour over 1 tablespoon melted butter and serve with plain, buttery couscous.
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Course; Lamb / Stew
Cuisine; Arabic / Moroccan

Spicy Beef & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Spicy Beef & Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Couverts4
Deel op Facebook Print Recipe

Equipment

  • Tagine

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts
  • 250 g ready-cooked lean beef cut into thin strips
  • 150 g sun-dried tomatoes in oil drained and cut into strips
  • 2½ tablespoons olive or argan oil
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon harissa paste
  • bunch of flat leaf parsley chopped
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Dry-fry the pine nuts in a small, heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat for 2 minutes until golden brown.
  • Put the beef, tomatoes and most of the toasted pine nuts in a bowl.
  • Mix together the oil, lemon juice, harissa and parsley in a separate bowl and season.
  • Pour over the beef and toss well.
  • Scatter with the reserved pine nuts and serve with couscous, if liked.
  • For beef, aubergine & sun-dried tomato tagine, cut 1 aubergine into bite-sized pieces, place in a colander and sprinkle with salt.
  • Meanwhile, heat 2½ tablespoons argan oil or ghee in the base of a tagine or a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat, stir in 2 finely chopped onions, 4 finely chopped garlic cloves, 1,5 deseeded and finely chopped red chillies, 25 g fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped, and 2 teaspoons coriander seeds and cook for 3 minutes to let the flavours mingle.
  • Add 1 tablespoon crumbled dried sage leaves and 450 g lean beef, cut into bite-sized pieces, and stir well to coat.
  • Pour in 500 ml hot beef or chicken stock, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Rinse the aubergines and pat dry, then stir into the beef, re-cover and cook for a further 10 minutes.
  • Add 125 g sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and roughly chopped, and 1 tablespoon runny honey.
  • Season, re-cover and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
  • Scatter over a finely chopped bunch of flat leaf parsley and serve with chunks of crusty bread or couscous.
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Course; Beef / Main Course
Cuisine; Arabic / Moroccan

Baked Lamb With Quinces

Baked Lamb With Quinces

Couverts4
Deel op Facebook Print Recipe

Equipment

  • Tagine

Ingredients

  • shoulder of lamb on the bone about 1.25 kg
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1½ onions cut into wedges
  • 300 ml water
  • 40 g butter
  • 2 small quinces quartered and cored
  • 1½ tablespoons honey
  • 1 bunch flat leaf parsley finely chopped, to garnish
  • 1 lemon cut into wedges, to serve

Marinade

  • 4 garlic cloves chopped
  • 40 g fresh root ginger peeled and chopped
  • 1 red chilli chopped
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • handful chopped coriander
  • handful of chopped parsley
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 3 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • juice of 1 lemon

Instructions

  • Prepare the marinade by pounding the garlic, ginger and chilli with the salt in a mortar with a pestle to form a coarse paste.
  • Add the coriander and parsley and continue to pound to a paste.
  • Beat in the cumin, ground coriander, olive oil, honey and lemon juice.
  • Cut small incisions in the shoulder of lamb with a sharp knife and rub the marinade all over the meat, making sure it goes into the incisions.
  • Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
  • Place the shoulder of lamb in the base of a tagine and pour over the olive oil.
  • Scatter the onion wedges around lamb and pour over the measurement water.
  • Cover and place in a preheated oven, 180°C , Gas Mark 4, for about 1 hour 20 minutes.
  • Melt the butter in a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat, add the quinces and stir to coat well, then sauté for 4 minutes, depending on size, until golden brown.
  • Remove the tagine from the oven.
  • Arrange the quinces around the lamb and drizzle the honey over the quinces.
  • Re-cover, return to the oven and cook for 15 minutes, then remove the lid and cook for a further 10 minutes.
  • Scatter the chopped parsley over the top of the lamb and serve with lemon wedges.
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Course; Lamb
Cuisine; Arabic / Moroccan

Meatball & Egg Tagine With Cumin

Meatball & Egg Tagine With Cumin

Couverts4
Deel op Facebook Print Recipe

Equipment

  • Tagine

Ingredients

  • 600 ml water
  • 15 g butter
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne powder
  • 4 eggs
  • 1½ teaspoons cumin seeds
  • small bunch flat leaf parsley finely chopped, to garnish
  • Meatballs
  • 225 g lean minced lamb
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 1½ teaspoons dried mint
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1½ teaspoons ras el hanout
  • sea salt and black pepper

Instructions

  • Make the meatballs.
  • Mix together all the ingredients in a bowl and season.
  • Knead the mixture well, then roll cherry-sized pieces into firm balls.
  • Pour the measurement water into the base of a tagine or a large, heavy-based saucepan and bring to the boil.
  • Add the meatballs, a few at a time, reducing the heat to a gentle boil, and poach the meatballs for 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until cooked through.
  • Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
  • Pour about 125 ml of the cooking liquid into the base of a tagine or a large, heavy-based saucepan and bring to the boil.
  • Stir in the butter, salt and cayenne, then add the poached meatballs.
  • Make 4 wells, then break the eggs into the wells, cover and cook for 5–6 minutes, reducing the heat slightly, until the whites are just set but the yolks are still runny.
  • Meanwhile, dry-fry the cumin seeds in a small, heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat for 1,5 minutes until they emit a nutty aroma.
  • Tip into a spice grinder and grind over the eggs.
  • Garnish with the parsley and serve immediately, with buttered toasted flatbreads, if liked.

Notes & Wine Advice

For eggs with toasted cumin,
heat 1 tablespoon ghee in the base of a tagine or a large, heavy-based, frying pan over a medium heat, break in 6–8 eggs and sprinkle over a little paprika and salt. Cover and cook gently until the whites are firm. Meanwhile, dry-fry 1½ teaspoons cumin seeds as for Meatball & egg tagine with cumin. Place in a spice grinder and grind over the eggs. Serve with buttered toasted flatbreads.
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Course; Lamb
Cuisine; Arabic / Moroccan

Lamb Tfaia With Almonds & Eggs

Lamb Tfaia With Almonds & Eggs

Couverts4
Deel op Facebook Print Recipe

Equipment

  • Tagine

Ingredients

  • 1½ tablespoons smen or ghee
  • 2 garlic cloves crushed
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon saffron threads ground, using a mortar and pestle, with a pinch of sea salt
  • 6 lamb cutlets
  • 2 onions finely chopped
  • 1 preserved lemon finely sliced rind of it

To garnish

  • 4 eggs
  • ½ teaspoon ground saffron
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • knob butter
  • 2 tablespoons blanched almonds

Instructions

  • Melt the smen, or ghee in the base of a tagine or a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat, stir in the garlic, ginger, coriander and ground saffron.
  • Add the lamb cutlets and sprinkle over the onions.
  • Pour in just enough water to cover the meat, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and cook gently for 1 hour.
  • Stir in the preserved lemon rind and season with salt and pepper.
  • Continue to cook gently, covered, for about 20 minutes to let the flavours mingle.
  • Meanwhile, prepare the garnish.
  • Boil the eggs in a saucepan of boiling water for about 4 minutes so that the yolks are just firm.
  • Drain, allow the eggs to cool slightly, then shell them.
  • Dissolve the ground saffron with 2 tablespoons of warm water in a small bowl and roll the boiled eggs in the yellow liquid to colour them.
  • Cut the eggs in half lengthways and set aside.
  • Heat the oil and butter in a small frying pan over a medium heat, stir in the almonds and cook for 3 minutes until golden brown.
  • Scatter the almonds over the tagine and arrange the halved eggs around the edge.
  • Serve immediately with crusty bread and a leafy salad, if liked.

Notes & Wine Advice

 

For lamb tfaia with olives,

follow the method as for Lamb tfaia with almonds & eggs cooking the cutlets. Replace the preserved lemon rind with 175 g pitted Kalamata olives and omit the garnish of eggs and almonds. Scatter a small bunch of finely chopped parsley over the tagine and serve with chunks of crusty bread.
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Course; Eggs / Lamb / Main Course / Nuts
Cuisine; Arabic / Moroccan

Lamb With Dates & Pistachios

Lamb With Dates & Pistachios

Couverts4
Deel op Facebook Print Recipe

Equipment

  • Tagine

Ingredients

  • 1½ tablespoons smen or ghee
  • 2 onions finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 700 g lean lamb cut into bite-size chunks
  • 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ras el hanout
  • 250 g ready-to-eat pitted dates
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 25 g butter
  • 2 tablespoons shelled pistachios
  • sea salt and black pepper
  • small bunch flat leaf parsley finely chopped, to garnish

Instructions

  • Heat the smen, or ghee in the base of a tagine or a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat, stir in the onions and garlic and cook for 3 minutes to soften them.
  • Add the lamb and stir to coat well, then add the turmeric, cinnamon and ras el hanout.
  • Pour in enough water to almost cover the meat and bring it to the boil.
  • Reduce the heat, cover and cook gently for 1 hour.
  • Add the dates and stir in the honey, season with sea salt and black pepper then re-cover and cook gently for a further 20 minutes.
  • Heat the oil with the butter in a small, heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat, toss in the pistachios and cook for 1,5 minutes until they are lightly browned.
  • Scatter the pistachios over the lamb, garnish with the flat leaf parsley and serve immediately.

Notes & Wine Advice

For lamb with dates & preserved lemon,

follow the recipe for Lamb with dates & pistachios but omit the almonds and pistachios. Finely slice the rind of 1 preserved lemon, adding half of it with the dates and honey and garnishing the tagine with the remaining preserved lemon rind and the parsley.
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Course; Lamb / Main Course / Nuts
Cuisine; Arabic / Moroccan

Lamb With Chestnuts

Lamb With Chestnuts

Couverts4
Deel op Facebook Print Recipe

Equipment

  • Tagine

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons smen or ghee
  • 2 onions finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 25 g fresh root ginger peeled and finely chopped
  • 1½ teaspoons cumin seeds
  • 1,5 cinnamon sticks
  • 500 g lean lamb cut into bite-size pieces
  • 600 ml lamb or chicken stock
  • 450 g shelled chestnuts
  • 1½ tablespoons honey
  • seeds of 1 pomegranate with the pith removed
  • To garnish
  • small bunch of mint finely chopped
  • small bunch of coriander finely chopped

Instructions

  • Heat the smen, or ghee in the base of a tagine or a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat, stir in the onions, garlic, ginger and cumin seeds and cook for 3 minutes to let the flavours mingle.
  • Add the cinnamon sticks, stir in the lamb and cook for a further 1,5 minutes.
  • Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and cook gently for about 1 hour to cook the lamb and flavour the stock.
  • Add the chestnuts and honey, topping up the liquid if necessary to just cover the lamb and chestnuts.
  • Re-cover and cook gently for a further 20–25 minutes until the chestnuts are tender.
  • Stir in most of the pomegranate seeds, season to taste and cook, covered, for 5 minutes.
  • Garnish with the mint and coriander and the remaining pomegranate seeds.
  • Serve with couscous, if liked.

Notes & Wine Advice

For lamb with chestnuts & pomegranate syrup,
make as for Lamb with chestnuts, replacing the honey with 2 tablespoons pomegranate syrup. Omit the pomegranate seeds and stir some of the chopped mint and coriander into the tagine for the last 5 minutes of the cooking time.
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Course; Lamb / Main Course / Nuts / Stew
Cuisine; Arabic / Moroccan

Ginger Beef With Sweet Potatoes

Ginger Beef With Sweet Potatoes

Deel op Facebook Print Recipe

Equipment

  • Tagine

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons smen or ghee
  • 40 g fresh root ginger peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 500 g lean beef cut into bite-size chunks
  • 1½ teaspoons ras el hanout
  • 2 small sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
  • 600 ml beef stock or water
  • sea salt and black pepper
  • small bunch coriander finely chopped, to garnish

Instructions

  • Heat the smen or ghee in the base of a tagine or a large, heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat, stir in the ginger and onion and cook for 3 minutes to let the flavours mingle.
  • Add the beef, stir to coat well and cook for a further 1,5 minutes, then stir in the ras el hanout.
  • Pour in the stock and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and cook gently for about 40 minutes to cook the meat and flavour the stock.
  • Add the sweet potatoes and top up the liquid with water, if necessary, to just cover the beef and sweet potatoes.
  • Re-cover and cook gently for a further 25–30 minutes until they are tender.
  • Season to taste and garnish with the coriander.
  • Serve immediately with plain, buttery couscous, if liked.

Notes & Wine Advice

For beef with new potatoes, peas & ras el hanout,
follow the recipe as for Ginger beef with sweet potatoes, replacing the sweet potatoes with 6–8 new potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces. After adding the new potatoes to the beef mixture, cook for 15–20 minutes, then toss in 250 g peas, re-cover and cook for a further 10 minutes. Season to taste and garnish with the coriander. Serve with couscous.
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Course; Beef / Main Course / Stew
Cuisine; Arabic / Moroccan