TASTY LAMB TAGINE

TENDER chunks of lamb in a lightly spiced tomato and chickpea sauce. If you can’t get hold of preserved lemons in a jar, add the grated zest of half a large lemon instead. Serve with couscous or rice. Serves 6

800g (1lb 12oz) lamb leg steaks (or neck fillet)

2 medium onions, halved and sliced

4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

1 tbsp ras-el-hanout mix (from supermarkets)

Oil, for spraying or brushing

2 tbsp plain flour

400ml (14fl oz) hot lamb stock (from stock cube)

2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes

4 tsp harissa paste

2 tbsp clear honey

1 preserved lemon, drained and cut into thin strips

400g tin chickpeas, rinsed and drained

175g (6oz) green beans, cut in half

Flaked sea salt

Flat-leafGround black parsley pepperor coriander, to garnish PREHEAT the oven to 200c/Fan 180c/Gas 6. Trim any excess fat from the lamb, cut it into 3-4cm chunks and season with salt and pepper. Toss the lamb with the onions, garlic and ras-el-hanout in a bowl. Spray or brush a large frying pan with oil and fry the meat in two batches until lightly browned. Tip the meat into a flameproof casserole and toss with the flour. Deglaze the frying pan with 150ml of the stock and pour over the lamb. Add the rest of the stock, tomatoes, harissa, honey and lemon. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook in the oven for 1 hour or until the lamb is just tender. Stir in the chickpeas and green beans. Cook for a further 20-30 minutes. You can freeze the cooled tagine for up to four months. Thaw in the fridge overnight. Reheat gently until piping hot. Tip: If you don’t have ras-el-hanout, mix 2 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground ginger and ½ tsp ground cinnamon instead.