La Différence

La Différence
A passion for food

Tuesday 2 October 2012

Spiced Lamb and Chickpea Casserole




This is a delightfully warming casserole, perfect for Autumn with the night's drawing in.
Chunks of tender lamb and gentle aromatic spices with onions, garlic, chickpeas and a few carrots  make this a memorable supper for any table. Let me talk you through the recipe.

To serve 4 large portions you will need

1½lbs of lean lamb cubed, I used leg steaks but shoulder will do nicely
2 onions finely diced
4 cloves of garlic crushed
3 or 4 medium carrots chopped
1 regular sized can of chickpeas or you could use butter beans
1 "              "       " chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
Lamb or chicken stock, I rinsed out the tomato tin with the stock and added this amount to the pot
2 tsps ground cumin
2 tsps ground coriander
1 heaped tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
2 bay leaves
1½ tsp sea salt
few grinds of fresh black pepper
2 tbsp flour
olive oil for frying
a few chopped dried dates and apricots  I used them but this is optional

okey dokey

Place the spices, seasoning & flour in a bowl , mix together
Coat the diced meat with the seasoned flour
Heat a couple of tbsp olive oil in a frying pan until hot
Fry the meat in small batches browning on each side.
Place in a casserole dish (mine is cast iron but an earthenware one will do nicely)
When you've finished browning deglaze the pan with a little stock scraping up all the brown bits
Add to the casserole
Gently sautee the onions in a little more oil in the frying pan until beginning to soften, add the garlic and continue to cook for a few more minutes. Add to the casserole

Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, rest of the stock, the carrots and the dried fruit if using.
Bring to the boil then simmer gently for around an one & a half hours stirring occasionally unyil the meat is tender if not cook on until it is.
Alternatively cook in the oven on a moderate setting 175C for the same length of time
Add the chick peas & return to the heat until hot.
Check the seasoning.

I served this with lemon, minted cous cous but it is just wonderful with mashed potatoes and green beans

 



1 comment:

I love sharing my recipes with you all...please feel free to comment ..it's great to get some feedback ♥