Moroccan-style lamb stew
Enjoy tender, melt-in-the-mouth lamb in a rich sauce infused with a delicious blend of spices. Recipe and image from Poppy Cooks: The Actually Delicious Batch Cookbook by Poppy O’Toole (£22, Bloomsbury). Photography: © Haarala Hamilton
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 5 hrs 30 mins
Total: 5 hrs 45 mins
Serves: 8
Ingredients
- olive oil
- 1.5kg lamb leg, bone in
- salt and pepper
- 2 onions, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp harissa paste
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ras el hanout
- 2 tbsp just-boiled water
- pinch of saffron threads
- 750ml beef or chicken stock
- 2 x 570g jars of queen chickpeas, liquid drained and reserved
- 200g dried apricots, quartered
- 30g toasted flaked almonds, to finish (optional)
- herby cous cous, to serve (optional)
Method
Step 1
Heat a large sauté pan with a glug of olive oil over a high heat. Dry the lamb with kitchen paper and season with salt. Add to the pan and fry for 2–3 minutes on each side until golden all over. Remove and set aside on a plate.
Step 2
Splash olive oil into the pan and add the onions. Turn the heat down to medium and fry for 2 minutes until slightly softened. Add the garlic. Fry for 1 minute until fragrant. Spoon in the harissa paste, tomato purée, ground cumin and ras el hanout. Fry for 2–3 minutes until dark and fragrant.
Step 3
Pour the just-boiled water into a small dish and add the saffron. Leave for 5 minutes. Pour the soaking water and threads into the pan.
Step 4
Add the stock and chickpea liquid to the pan and bring it all to a bubble. Season generously with salt and pepper. Return the lamb to the pan, along with any resting juices. Turn the heat down to low and pop a lid on the pan. Leave the stew to simmer away for 4½–5 hours, turning the lamb over from time to time in the liquid, until the meat is falling off the bone.
Step 5
Remove the lamb from the pan, discard the bone and shred the meat into large pieces – try to keep some texture. Tip the chickpeas and apricots into the pan and turn the heat up to medium. Bring to a bubble and leave to reduce for 20 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Return the lamb meat to the sauce and stir through.
Step 6
If eating immediately, season, sprinkle with almonds and serve with herby cous cous. Or, freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. To reheat from frozen, place over a low heat, stirring regularly to prevent catching, until piping hot. You can also defrost fully in the fridge overnight, then reheat in a saucepan over a medium–low heat until piping hot.
