Make the tagine ahead of time and simply heat up for a hearty dinner or lunch for a crowd.
TO DRINK: Luddite Shiraz 2005 features perfectly concentrated blackberry fruit supported by bold spicy notes, just the thing for this aromatic dish.
Lamb and apricot tagine with citrus couscous
Ingredients
- TAGINE
- 410ml dried apricots
- 175ml (¾ cup) fresh orange juice
- 125ml (½ cup) boiling water
- 60ml (¼ cup) olive oil
- 900g lamb steaks, cubed
- 2 red peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 5ml (1 tsp) ground cinnamon
- 10ml (2 tsp) ground cumin
- 10ml (2 tsp) ground coriander
- 250ml (1 cup) dry red wine
- 1 litre chicken stock
- 30ml (2 tbsp) honey
- COUSCOUS
- 720g (4 cups) couscous
- 1 litre hot water
- 10ml (2 tsp) lemon zest
- 10ml (2 tsp) orange zest
- olive oil, to taste
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 100g fresh coriander
- 175ml (¾ cup) low-fat plain yoghurt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 160°C.
For the tagine, combine the apricots, juice and water in a small bowl. Cover and leave for 1 hour.
Heat 30ml (2 tbsp) of the olive oil in an ovenproof casserole and fry the lamb in small batches until browned. Remove and set aside.
Heat the remaining olive oil in the casserole and sauté the peppers, onion, garlic and spices until soft and fragrant. Add the wine and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer to reduce the liquid by half.
Return the lamb to the casserole with the apricots, juice, water, stock and honey, and bring to the boil.
Place the casserole in the oven with the lid on and cook until the lamb is tender, about 2½ – 3 hours.
For the couscous, combine the couscous and the water in a bowl. Set aside until the water has been absorbed, about 30 minutes. Fluff up the couscous and mix through the zest, oil, garlic and seasoning.
Garnish the tagine with the coriander, drizzle with the yoghurt and serve.
