Tag: tagine

Lamb and squash tagine

There’s always room in my life for more tagine recipes. This was prompted by the arrival of a large squash. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp ras-el-hanout
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 600g diced lamb
  • 1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced
  • 200g soft dried apricots
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • 500ml stock
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • coriander leaves, chopped
  • Salt and pepper

METHOD:

  • Heat the oven to 200C. 
  • In a casserole dish, heat the oil and cook the onion for five minutes until it is softening. Add the garlic and the spices and cook for another minute or two, stirring so the mixture doesn’t catch. 
  • Add the lamb, squash and apricots to the dish, mix and pour over the tomatoes and stock. Season wtih salt and pepper, bring to a simmer, and then cover. Transfer to the oven. 
  • After one hour, take it out to check progress,and to give it a stir and to check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste. If it is a  bit too wet, take the lid off, and return to the oven for a further 30 minutes
  • Before serving, add the lemon zest and check the seasoning. 

Serve with rice and yoghurt, and a garnish of chopped coriander. 

Venison Tagine

I have no idea if this is authentic, but it is very good. It could be made with the spices listed here, or by substituting Ras el Hanout, a mixed spice blend from Morocco. It is derived from a similar recipe in Norman Tebbit’s book, The Game Cook. 

INGREDIENTS: 

  • 1kg diced venison
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 tsp hot paprika
  • olive oil
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • a handful of chopped mint
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1.5 tsp ground ginger
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 
  • (or use 2 tbsp ras el hanout instead of all of the spices)
  • 600ml stock
  • 250ml red wine
  • 4 tbsp tomato puree
  • 250g carrots, chopped into large chunks
  • 250g chopped butternut squash
  • Sweet peppers, chopped into large pieces. 
  • 250g ready-to-eat dried apricots
  • juice of a lemon
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

METHOD:

  • Mix the venison with the salt, a pinch of black pepper and 1 tsp paprika, and leave to allow the flavour to develop for at least an hour. 
  • Set the oven to 160C
  • Heat the oil in a large casserole dish, and fry off the meat, remove and set aside. 
  • Add the onions to the oil, and as they start to soften, add the garlic, and fry for another five minutes or so. 
  • Add half of the mint and all of the spices, mix well, fry for a minute, and then add the red wine, stock, and tomato puree. Bring to a simmer and add back the venison, and the chopped carrots. 
  • Cook in the oven for around an hour and half to two hours. 
  • Add the butternut sqush, apricots and peppers, along with the lemon juice, the rest of the mint and cayenne pepper to taste. Return to the oven for another 30 minutes, so that the vegetables are done.