lamb tagine with pomegranate + pine nut cous cous

Lamb Tagine With Pomegranate + Pine Nut Cous Cous

To get the pomegranate seeds out of the fruit, your pomegranate needs to be ripe. Cut it in half widthways, turn the half upside down and bash with a rolling pin to release the seeds. This doesn’t always work. If it doesn’t, rip open the fruit further so the seeds can be scraped out with a teaspoon or your finger. Make sure you don’t use any of the yellow membrane or pith as it tastes bitter.

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Ingredients

for the tagine:

  • 3 tbsp oil for frying
  • 1 kg diced lamb
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled + crushed or finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp peeled + grated fresh ginger
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 6 cardamom pods
  • pinch of saffron threads
  • 600ml water
  • grated rind of 1 lemon
  • 150g dried apricots, roughly chopped, soaked in water for 30 mins, then drained
  • 2 tbsp honey

 

for the cous cous:

  • 400g cous cous
  • 500ml hot veg stock
  • knob of butter
  • zest + juice of 1 lemon
  • seeds from 2 pomegranates
  • 100g pine nuts, toasted in a dry frying pan until just golden (or use flaked almonds)
  • 1 bunch of mint leaves, chopped
  • 1 bunch of coriander leaves, chopped
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Method

  1. In a large flame and oven-proof casserole or tagine, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the lamb and fry (in batches if necessary) until browned all over. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon.
  2. Add another tbsp of oil and fry the onion until just starting to turn translucent. Add the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and cardamom and fry for another min or two. Return the lamb to the pan, add the saffron, water, lemon rind and season with salt and pepper.
  3. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer on the lowest heat, or cook in the oven at 150˚C for 1½ hours. Add the apricots and honey and cook for another 30 mins and check the seasoning.
  4. To make the cous cous, put it in a large bowl, add the hot stock and butter and leave to stand for at least 10 mins, using a fork to fluff every few mins. The stock should all be absorbed. When cool, add the rest of the ingredients and mix to combine, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
     
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