Lamb tagine

This tagine is sensational. Slow cooked lamb is served with saffron flavoured couscous and a fabulous Moroccan-style gremolata of macadamias, preserved lemon and mint.

Ingredients:

Lamb marinade

• 1 large purple onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 whole bunch coriander, roots removed, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika

Tagine

• 1.5kg diced leg or shoulder lamb pieces
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 can tomatoes
• 600ml water
• 1 cinnamon quill
• 8 dates, seeds removed
• ½ cup pitted green olives
• pinch of saffron
• 2 cups couscous
• 30g butter
• 1 teaspoon salt

Macadamia gremolata

• ¼ cup chopped preserved lemon
• 1 cup macadamias, finely chopped and roasted
• ¼ cup loosely packed mint leaves

Method:

1. To make the lamb marinade, place onion, garlic, coriander leaves and spices in the bowl of a food processor and process to form a paste.
 
2. Place the lamb in a non-corrosive bowl. Spread the marinade over the lamb, cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least 3 hours.
 
3. To make the lamb tagine, preheat oven to 150°C. Heat the oil over high heat in the base of a large casserole dish that has a lid. Add the lamb, and brown on each side. Reduce heat to medium and add the tomato paste, canned tomatoes, water and cinnamon. Bring the mixture to a steady simmer, cover with the lid, place in the oven and cook for 1¼ hours. Add the dates and olives and cook for a further 30 minutes.
 
4. When almost ready to serve, place the saffron in a small bowl and pour over 2 tablespoons boiling water. Allow to stand for 15 minutes.
 
5. Place the couscous in a separate bowl with the butter and salt. Pour over 2 cups of boiling water, add the soaked saffron with its water and cover immediately. Stand for at least 10 minutes before removing the cover and fluffing with a fork.
 
6. To make the macadamia gremolata, combine all ingredients and sprinkle generously over the lamb.

We know what to eat to stay healthy. So why is it so hard to make the right choices?

Recipe courtesy of Australian Macadamias. 

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