I love stews and casseroles, it’s the perfect comfort food that you can just scoop up with one hand. And of course I can’t always do the same things and am constantly trying new dishes. Being from Iceland I am used to some of the best lamb in the world! The lambing takes place in April/May and a few weeks after they are born they are sent to run free around the Icelandic mountains. As free range as it gets! There they eat the wild herbs, moss and grass and we get the most tender and amazing meat.
This is my take on a Moroccan dish. Some people like it a bit spicy and others want it a bit sweet. I like a bit of both and this combination is liked by everyone in my family, big or small :)
Don’t be put off by a long list of ingredients, it is not as long as it looks and a lot of them most people already have. If you don't have them, you should :)
1 kg stewing lamb
rapeseed or olive oil for frying
1 large onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons paprika
1 1/2 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper
2 cans chopped tomatoes
200 gr dried fruit, I use a combination of raisins, apricots and figs
pinch of saffron in a little bit of cold water
500 ml chicken stock
1 can chickpeas
1 handful coriander
1 handful flatleaf parsley
Mix the dry spices along with salt and pepper and pour over the meat and mix it all nicely together. If you have got time to let the meat sit in the spices, that’s great but if you don’t, that’s fine.
Brown the meat in a bit of oil and remove from the pan. Roughly chop the onion and garlic and put let it sweat in the same pan you cooked the meat for about 3-5 minutes. Put the meat back in.
Add the stock, tomatoes, saffron and dried fruit. Allow to simmer for 1 1/2-2 hours. Add the chickpeas and cook for a further 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If you would like more of any of the other spices feel free to add them in. If you want a bit more heat you can add some cayenne. Sprinkle with the coriander and parsley. With this I served some couscous.
Couscous
250-300 gr dried couscous cooked like instruction on package say but instead of water you can use chicken stock
handfull fresh mint and coriander
1 pomegranate
Remove the seeds from the pomegranate and mix in with the cooked couscous and herbs. Serve with the lamb.
