This is another of Greg Malouf's recipes from Artichoke to Za'atar, the beautiful guide to Middle Eastern ingredients that I borrowed from the library a few months back. There were many recipes that sparked my interest in this book and I have a long list to work through eventually, but Wil isn't the most familiar with or fond of food of cuisine from this part of the world so I'm taking it slow. I chose this dish tonight as it didn't require any extra ingredients or extra preparation and was straightforward enough for a weeknight meal. Once all the spices are toasted and ground the rest is pretty simple, although I do have to admit that I cut back on the water added as I was aware that Wil would prefer a more stew-like texture to the soupy consistency that this sounded like. Towards the end I also added a bunch more couscous to soak up some of the liquid, and this will stretch the dish a little further for lunches this week.
I really liked this dish. The flavours were deep and earthy and the lemon squeeze at the end, with the fresh herbs brought everything to the surface a brightened it a little. We had had to use beef in place of lamb as none was available nearby so it wasn't as tasty and it could be - I'd be sure to track down some lamb in future. Wil was very skeptical of the whole dish, and of the yoghurt in particular, but warmed up to it all and thought that the yoghurt was a nice touch.
I loved scooping up the soup with my bread; it's a part of Middle Eastern and Indian cuisine that I really enjoy so no surprises there. So slowly, slowly, Wil is coming round to Moroccan and North African flavours, and we're turning him on the soup too. If you even a teeny bit of a fan of North African or Middle Eastern flavours give this a try, particularly if it's cold out!
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 pound lamb, leg steak, cut into small chunks
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cloves garlic, crushed with 1 tsp salt
1 tbsp coriander seeds, roasted and ground
1 tbsp cumin seeds, roasted and ground
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp ground chili
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 can crushed tomatoes (14oz)
1 green chili, deseeded, scraped, and finely shredded
1 tsp honey
1/2 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
salt and pepper
1/4 cup couscous
1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
juice of 1 lemon
Heat the olive oil and sautee the lamb pieces. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Add the onion and cook over a gentle heat until soft. Then add the garlic, coriander, cumin, allspice, ground chili, and paprika, and mix well with the onion. Cook for a further 2 minutes and then return the lamb to the pan. Next add the tomatoes, chili and honey.
Stir well before adding the chickpeas, water and stock. Cover and simmer on a low heat for 45-60 minutes, or until the chickpeas are tender.
When you are ready to serve, taste and adjust seasoning. Add the couscous to the pot, cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
Serve garnished with the parsley, mint and lemon juice, a dollop of thick yoghurt and plenty of warm pita bread.
1/2 pound lamb, leg steak, cut into small chunks
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cloves garlic, crushed with 1 tsp salt
1 tbsp coriander seeds, roasted and ground
1 tbsp cumin seeds, roasted and ground
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp ground chili
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 can crushed tomatoes (14oz)
1 green chili, deseeded, scraped, and finely shredded
1 tsp honey
1/2 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
salt and pepper
1/4 cup couscous
1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
juice of 1 lemon
Heat the olive oil and sautee the lamb pieces. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Add the onion and cook over a gentle heat until soft. Then add the garlic, coriander, cumin, allspice, ground chili, and paprika, and mix well with the onion. Cook for a further 2 minutes and then return the lamb to the pan. Next add the tomatoes, chili and honey.
Stir well before adding the chickpeas, water and stock. Cover and simmer on a low heat for 45-60 minutes, or until the chickpeas are tender.
When you are ready to serve, taste and adjust seasoning. Add the couscous to the pot, cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
Serve garnished with the parsley, mint and lemon juice, a dollop of thick yoghurt and plenty of warm pita bread.
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