Moroccan Lamb and Chickpea Tagine

Dinner party with my 18 month old….not ready for real glassware yet

I would usually associate slow cooking with warming winter dishes, to be enjoyed on dark rainy evenings, so it surprised me that when we had family over recently (it was June) that they wanted me to make my lamb, chickpea and apricot tagine.  Thinking more about this, it’s inspired by North African flavours, and while it is rich with lamb, is light with chickpeas, clean spices and fresh coriander; it’s designed to be eaten in warmer climes and goes beautifully with a quinoa , pomegranate and avocado salad.  

This is the first meat dish that I introduced my daughter to, firstly as a purée, then as soon as she could eat chunks, the tender lamb and soft chickpeas became easy finger foods.  It’s still her favourite.  Just beware the staining potential of this recipe, turmeric, which is so good for us all, features heavily and turns fingers and clothes a lovely shade of orange!

It’s also a great dinner party dish served with some flatbreads and the pretty avocado salad I mention above.

Ingredients, serves 4-6

600g diced lamb, high welfare, organic if possible 

500g cooked chickpeas, drained

2 red onions, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 thumb sized pieces of ginger, peeled and finely chopped

pinch of chilli flakes, more if you like it hotter.

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp turmeric

1tsp dried oregano 

1 Tspn ground cinnamon

1/2 Tsp paprika

10 apricots, chopped  

500ml passata

15ml lamb/beef/veg stock (low or no salt)

Couple of strips of lemon peel (I usually use a vegetable peeler, needs also to be an unwaxed lemon)

To serve

Bunch of coriander

Dollop of organic plain yogurt (optional)

Flaked roasted almonds (to save time, buy them ready prepared like this)

 Tblspn turmeric 

Method

If you have a slow cooker, get it ready to go, if not, preheat your oven to 110 degrees.  

In a large pan, cook the onions, ginger and garlic gently in oil until they are translucent but not coloured, this should take 10 minutes and is worth doing slowly as it adds sweetness.  Add the dried spices and continue to cook, stirring to combine well, for e or for minutes until they start to smell delicious.  Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker, add a splash more oil to the same pan and heat to a medium high temperature.  Add the diced lamb and brown all over.  Once the meat is brown, add this to the slow cooker along with all the other ingredients, cover, and cook on the low heat setting for 6-8 hours (long enough for you to do it in the morning and have it ready for you after a day at work).

Lamb tagine ready to go!

Serve scattered with torn coriander leaves, toasted almonds, and a bowl of cool plain yogurt.  Find my recipe for avocado, pomegranate and quinoa salad here, it’s perfect with the tagine and super quick to prepare.

Tip: If you omit the meat and double up on chickpeas, this makes a great vegetarian alternative.