Sunday 19 September 2010

Something Nice from Inexpensive Lamb

This is Moroccan Slow Cooker Lamb

I found a pack of their 'Basics' Stewing Lamb in Sainsbury's yesterday so I thought I'd give this a bash. It's loosely based on a Moroccan style Chicken Dish I made a little while ago but this time I dispensed with the Harissa Paste.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. Olive Oil
1.2Kg Stewing Lamb (larger pieces are good and bone-in will add to the flavour)
3 large Onions peeled and quartered
3 Peppers of various colours, deseeded and cut to 2.5cm pieces
1 Butternut Squash, peeled deseeded and cut into 15mm pieces
3 salsa strength Chillies sliced thin
3 large cloves of Garlic, crushed and sliced
1 x 250g carton of chopped tomatoes
125g dried apricots, soak just covered in water
1 tbsp. flaked almonds
2 tsp. Ground Coriander
2 tsp. Ground Cumin
1 tsp. Caraway seeds
2 tsp. Cinnamon
1 Lemon, zest and juice
Coriander Leaf, you can never have too much

Method:
Prepare your slow cooker: this usually involves reaching in, over or up, to the most out of the way place in the kitchen. It may even require standing on a chair so be careful. Give the lid, outer rim, handles and the cable a good wipe over with kitchen cleaner and a damp cloth. Plug it in and turn it on and set it to low, splash some water into it (a couple of tablespoons) and a teaspoon of bouillon or other powdered stock to warm the beast up.
In a large frying pan add the Olive Oil, Coriander, Cumin, Caraway Seed and Cinnamon. Bring up the heat and cook until it just begins to smoke then lower to minimum and allow the spices to release their flavours into the oil. Meanwhile cover the lamb pieces in flour. Add the lamb to the frying pan and increase the heat again. Cover the lamb in the hot oil and spices turning to ensure all sides are sealed and seasoned. When ready turn the lamb out into the slow cooker and cover.
Into the frying pan put the Chillies and Garlic and turn about for a minute to release their flavour. Add the Onion, Peppers and Butternut Squash and turn over. Allow the edges to darken slightly for flavour but try not to burn the Garlic. Tip the vegetables into the slow cooker and work in around the Lamb. Pour the Chopped Tomatoes into the frying pan to deglaze it and pour them straight in to the slow cooker.
Allow the slow cooker to come up to its working temperature. You'll find the Low setting will give you a very gentle simmer. Now tip in the Apricots and the water they were soaked in into the cooker and halve them. Add the Flaked Almonds, Lemon Zest and Juice and stir in.
Now leave cooking for at least 2 hours and certainly until the Lamb falls apart (be careful, you want it to stay in as few pieces as possible).
When ready to eat chop up a shed load of fresh Coriander, throw ¾ of it into the slow cooker and fold it in. Save the rest to garnish.
Prepare your Couscous, Rice or other accompaniment to taste and place it on a large serving dish as a bed and spoon the contents of the slow cooker over it, garnishing with the rest of the chopped Coriander leaf.
Serve with a Minted Yogurt

Enjoy. As before - any comments? You know what to do.

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