Moroccan Lamb with mint, apricots, almonds and dates

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 2 hours
Serves approx 4

600 g of lean lamb meat diced
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 onion chopped
2 garlic cloves crushed
700 ml of lamb or chicken stock
1 cinnamon stick (if you desire this flavour) - note take this out after one hour
one teaspoon of zest of orange and juice of one orange
1 tablespoon of fresh mint chopped
50 g almonds flaked
200 g read to eat dried apricots
1 tablespoon of honey
handful of dates pitted cut in half
Salt and pepper to your taste
12 broccoli florets

Heat a little oil in a large casserole pot to cook on stove top.  Add lamb and cook until brown, set aside.

In the same casserole pot add a little more oil and the onion and garlic.  Cook until opaque then add the lamb and the stock and stir through.  Then you can add the zest of orange, honey, orange juice, cinnamon stick (only for an hour in this casserole) and also add a little salt and pepper.  Bring this to the boil carefully slowly and cook for an hour covered.

After an hour add the apricots, almonds, dates and the mint.  This can be cooked slowly for another hour and served with either Cous cous or rice.

Moroccan Lamb pie

 Makes one large pie for 4 people

Preparation Time: 45 minutes
Cooking Time around 40 minutes

1/2 large shallot diced finely
500g diced lamb meat
1 tablespoon of Moroccan seasoning
1 handful of chopped rosemary
1 clove of garlic crushed
400g  tomato passata (or crushed)
1/2 cup vege or beef stock
4 small potatoes diced small
1 handful of pitted dates torn in half
Puff pastry for the lid (defrosted on benchtop ready)
one egg beaten in a cup for the glaze
One glass pie baker

Cook shallot onion in a large fry pan with a little olive oil until softened.  Add lamb and stir with wooden spoon until browned.  Then add the seasoning and rosemary. Add the tomatoes, stock, potato and dates.  Simmer on low heat for around 20 minutes until thickening.

Place the meat mix into the glass baking dish and if you like add a little pepper to the top layer.  Then place a piece of pastry on top and press to the sides of the dish.  you can make a small hole in the centre so the heat can escape.  Decorate with sprigs of rosemary.
Now you can glaze with a pastry brush with the egg mixture to make the pie amazingly brown.

Bake in oven around 160 degrees celcius fan forced for 40 minutes. Check as some ovens are different.

Moroccan Lamb Shanks with Apple and Almond Cous Cous

Moroccan Lamb Shanks with Apple and Almond Cous Cous.....


This dish is the ultimate in melt in your mouth lamb dishes... the crunch of apple in this cous cous dish is amazing!! When Royal Gala apples are in season they are a wonderful addition and blend well with the almonds and raisins.  I love this dish so much and i hope you do too.


Time to prepare around half hour average.  Cooking time i would cook for around 2 hours for very best taste.


Ingredients:


4 large or 8 small lamb shanks (enough to fit into your baking dish)
50g of plain flour
olive oil 
1 large brown onion thinly diced
Masterfoods Moroccan spice 1 tablespoon (or more if desired)
3 garlic cloves diced thinly
4 cups of beef stock 
400g diced tomatoes in a can
3 strips of lemon rind *important that this is the very edge without the white*
Pinch of Saffron threads for the colouring in the dish


to make the Apple and Almond Cous Cous:


1 1/2 cups of Cous Cous
1 1/2 of boiling water
1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 royal gala apples cored, quartered and sliced thinly
1/2 cup of flaked almonds
1/2 cup of good quality raisins

Place your shanks in a large bowl with the flour and some salt and pepper shaken in.  Toss to coat them nicely.  Heat up a little olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat.  Add half the lamb shanks turning them occasionally until they begin to brown say around 5 minutes or so. Transfer to a plate when just browned on the outside and do the same to the remaining shanks.  


Wipe the pan clean with some paper towel and add some more olive oil.  Add the onion and garlic and cook for around 5 minutes til soft. Stir in your spice mix then add the stock, tomato, lemon rind and saffron.  Bring to the boil cook uncovered for 20 odd minutes until the sauce begins to thicken.  Add your lamb shanks into the mix and cook them in the sauce for around 1 hour.  The longer you cook the more tender the meat so longer is best.  


To make the apple cous cous you place the cous cous in a heatproof bowl and pour over the boiling water. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.  Using a fork you separate the grains slightly.  Add your apple, raisins, lemon juice and almonds.


Enjoy with a nice bottle of  Italian Muscato mmmmmm