lamb tagine

this is my absolute favourite tagine recipe! i love the way the apricots and raisins add sweetness to the spice :) super easy, smells amazing and don't expect any leftovers!

ingredients.
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
grated rind and juice of 2 lemons
1.2kg diced lamb (i buy a leg and cut it up myself)
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup raisins
4 carrots
4 potatoes
1 cup thick, Greek-style yoghurt
1/2 cup pistachio kernels, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cup couscous (soaked in 1 1/2 cups water for 5 mins)
bunch of corriander

method.
combine spices and salt in a large bowl . add oil, lemon rind and half the lemon juice and stir to form a paste . add lamb and stir until well-coated . cover and refrigerate for 3 hours . cut carrots and potatoes into chuncks and line bottom of tagine or casserole dish . place lamb mixture ontop of veges . add  1 cup stock and remaining lemon juice . stir until well-combined . cover and cook for 1 hour on stovetop over medium heat . stir in dried apricots and raisins. cook, covered for a further 40 minutes or until lamb is tender . serve immediately with couscous, a dollop of greek yoghurt, sprinkling of pistachio kernels and corriander.

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moroccan beef keftas

Moroccan flavours are always welcomed by my tastebuds.

Similar to the Middle Eastern kofta, these keftas are meatballs bursting with flavour and the flatbread is a must for wiping the sauce clean from the plate!

TOMATO SAUCE

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion finely chopped

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

2 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tins diced tomatoes

salt & pepper

2 tablespoons roughly chopped flat leaf parsley

KEFTA

600 grams beef mince

1 onion finely chopped

2 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley

2 tablespoons finely chopped corriander

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teasppon fresh ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

To make the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over low-medium heat . Add the onion, garlic, sugar & spices and cook until golden and fragrant . Add the tinned tomatoes and bring to the boil . Reduce heat and let simmer . Add salt & pepper . Meanwhile to make the keftas, combine mince, onion, herbs, spices, salt & pepper in a bowl and form into compact balls . Cook the keftas in a medium-high heat fry pan until brown . Spoon half of the tomato sauce over the bottom of a cast iron pot or large frypan . Arrange the keftas on top and spoon over remaining sauce . Sprinkle with parsely, cover and cook over low-medium heat for 10 minutes until the keftas are cooked through .

Serve with cous cous (my favourite is Ainsley Harriot's Lemon Mint & Parsely Cous Cous) and charred flatbread (I used Lite Mission Wraps toasted in a hot frypan with a little oil).