Pitch perfect
Lamb and date tagine
Making a good tagine is a masterclass in balancing flavour. Meat, spice and fruit – all three must be in harmony. Use beef and prunes in similar amounts if you prefer them to lamb and dates. Either way, serve with couscous – pour over boiling water with a pinch of salt, soak, then fluff with a fork when soft and tender – the easiest of accompaniments for this fragrant, gently spiced stew.
SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS
• 50g butter or 50ml olive oil
• 600g lamb (shoulder is best), cut into 3cm dice
• 1tsp salt, plus more if needed
• 1 x 400g can of chopped tomatoes
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• ½tsp chilli flakes, or more to taste
• 2tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
• 2tsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground
• 1tsp ground turmeric
• 1½tsp ground ginger
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 small orange or 1 lemon, 2 small strips of zest
removed and reserved
• 2tbsp runny honey
• 16 dates, pitted, or 12 dried apricots
• black pepper
To serve:
• 50g whole almonds, chopped
• couscous, cooked as per the instructions on the
packet
METHOD
Melt half the butter in a small saucepan, then transfer it (or half the olive oil) to a large bowl and mix it together with the lamb, salt, tomatoes, onions, garlic and all of the spices. Cover and leave refrigerated for at least a couple of hours – overnight is ideal.
To cook, put the marinated meat in a large heavybottomed saucepan. Add the remaining butter or oil and cook the meat over a moderatelow heat, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring from time to time.
Meanwhile, halve the orange or lemon, squeezing and reserving the juice from one half and reserving the remaining half to cut into wedges later, to serve.
After 20 minutes, add 400ml (14fl oz) of water to the saucepan, along with the honey, orange or lemon zest and the juice, and the dates or apricots. Stir to combine and reduce the heat to low, then cover and simmer very gently for about 1 to 1½ hours, or until the meat is melting and tender. Check the tagine from time to time to ensure it doesn’t catch, adding a splash more water to the pan if you think it needs it. Check the seasoning, adjusting with salt and pepper to taste – you want a heady mix of savoury, sweet and spice, with the lamb and its sauce in perfect balance. Refrigerate, or freeze, to take camping.
To serve, heat the tagine over a moderate heat until piping hot and serve topped with the almonds with couscous and orange or lemon wedges on the side.
Pork and pineapple skewers
Grilling the pineapple along with the marinated pork is transformative. This is the best sort of grilling or barbecuing – effortless and very, very tasty. Memorable are these skewers, all slathered with hot sauce and pink pickled onions. Hot juicy pork, sweet and spicy with chilli and honey served with grilled pineapple – there’s no going back. Peaches or apricots would make brilliant alternatives to pineapple. You’ll need metal or wooden skewers for this recipe – if you’re using wooden, soak them in a little water for 30 minutes before threading.
SERVES 4
Ingredients
• 1tbsp soft light brown sugar or runny honey
• 1tsp chilli powder (chipotle would be ideal)
• ½tsp ground cumin
• 4tbsp olive oil
• ½tsp salt, plus more to season
• ½tsp black pepper
• 600g pork loin or fillet, cut into 2-3cm pieces
• 1 red onion, half very thinly sliced, half cut into four
wedges
• boiling water
• 2 limes, halved
• ½ to one ripe pineapple, depending on size, cut into
wedges, core removed, skin and stem intact
• 4 tortillas, to serve
• your favourite hot sauce, to serve
METHOD
In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar or honey, chilli powder, cumin, half the olive oil and the salt and pepper. Add the pork and onion wedges and mix well. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes, or more if refrigerated.
Place the sliced onion in a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water over it to cover. Drain, then add a big pinch of salt along with the juice of half a lime. Transfer to a small bowl and put to one side ready to serve.
Toss the pineapple in the remaining oil, then thread the pork and onion onto the skewers.
Grill the kebabs along with the wedges of pineapple, turning often, for 8-10 minutes, until the pork is cooked through and is nicely caramelised. The pineapple can come off the grill a little earlier than the pork if you like, but (like the pork) it likes a little bit of char, turning the flesh extrajuicy and flavoursome.
Remove the skewers from the grill.
Let the pork rest for a couple of minutes, while you remove the skin and chop up the pineapple. Squeeze the juice from the remaining lime halves over the pork, then remove the pork and the onions from the skewers, piling the cooked pieces equally onto the tortillas with the chopped grilled pineapple, pickled onion and hot sauce to serve.
Honey and paprika chicken with fried potatoes
The considerable honey and paprika in this recipe make the chicken incredibly fragrant and delicious as it cooks down in the tomato sauce. I’m suggesting serving this one-pot chicken dish with some fried potatoes – taking the overall pan count up to two. If you are cooking with just the one pan, you might want to consider serving crusty bread to mop instead of cooking the potatoes. But if you’re in a leisurely mood, fry the potatoes first, wipe out the pan,
and keep the cooked potatoes to one side (an ambient temperature is fine), before embarking on the chicken, then serving the two together.
SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS
• 8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
• olive oil, to fry
• 2 garlic bulbs, halved horizontally
• 1 onion, halved horizontally
• 1tbsp sweet or hot paprika, smoked or unsmoked,
plus extra for sprinkling the potatoes
• 2tbsp runny honey
• 400g tomato passata or can of chopped tomatoes
• salt and black pepper
For the fried potatoes (to serve):
• 16 new potatoes, halved
• olive oil, to fry
METHOD
First, make the fried potatoes. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil over a high heat, then boil for about 10 minutes, until cooked through. Drain. Heat a splash of olive oil in a frying pan over a moderatelow heat and fry for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown all over. Sprinkle with paprika, transfer to a plate and set aside.
Season the chicken with a good amount of salt. Heat a splash of olive oil in a saucepan over a moderate heat and add the chicken, frying and turning for 5-8 minutes per side, until golden brown all over. Add the garlic and onion, cut-sides down, to the pan and cook for five minutes, until both have turned golden, then stir in the paprika and honey and cook for a few seconds more. Add the passata or tomatoes and simmer for 8-10 minutes, until well reduced, rich and thickened.
Finally, add enough water to barely cover the chicken, then put a lid on the pan. Turn the heat down to low and cook very gently for 40-45 minutes, or until the chicken is very tender and almost falling off the bone. Remove from the heat, check the seasoning and season to taste with extra salt and plenty of black pepper, as necessary, to serve with the potatoes.
■ Camper Van Cooking by
Claire Thomson and Matt Williamson (Quadrille, £20). Photography:
Sam Folan.
In Camper Van Cooking, chefs Claire and Matt have created 70 inspiring, easy meals for any outdoor eating scenarios. Pictures Sam Folen.