This is a modified recipe from ‘It’s all good’ by Gwyneth Paltrow.
I made this for ‘what-was-meant-to-be’ dinner last night, which is now lunch and dinner today.
I decided to make a Chicken & Kale Soup and this Lamb Tagine at the same time. Another one of my genius ideas, and I would have pulled it off if I had properly prepared myself. Again, I just didn’t realised how much time was needed to cook this dish, which I would have if I had read the instructions. Anyway… I got there in the end and I must say, this is absolutely delicious!
I have modified the recipe from the original, not intentionally, but I thought I was growing cilantro (coriander) in the garden. I sent my husband to get some and he returned with flat leaf parsley and basil. Turns out, my coriander is M.I.A, I assume it’s either been eaten by the possums or died. So, since it was late and it was going to take 2 hours to cook, I decided to use my flat leaf parsley. I don’t know what the marinade is actually meant to taste like, but I can assure you, my modified herb choice is fantastic!
Ingredients:
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley leaves, plus extra to serve
3 teaspoons minced garlic
2-inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled
1 small red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
Sea Salt
1 kg boneless lamb cut into 2-inch cubes (I used a roasting lamb)
500mls chicken stock
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
700g butternut pumpkin, seeded, skinned and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 small lemon, finely chopped
Method:
1. Combine 1/2 cup parsley leaves, garlic, ginger, onion, cumin, pepper, olive oil and a large pinch of salt in a blender. Blend until everything is completely puréed.
2. Place lamb in a large bowl and pour the marinade over it. Use your hands or a spoon to thoroughly coat the lamb.
(Now… the original recipe says to cover the marinaded lamb and refrigerate for 6 hours. Since I didn’t have this luxury I think I left it for all of 20 mins while I prepared the next few steps and waited for the oven to heat up).
3. Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
4. Put lamb, along with all marinade, into a large pot and set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occassionally, until completely browned all over.
5. Once lamb is browned, add the chicken stock. Bring this to the boil, scraping the sides and bottom often. Turn the heat off.
6.
If you own a tagine
Transfer the lamb and chicken stock into the tagine, put lid on and place in oven to cook for 1 1/2 hours.
If you don’t own a tagine, as per ‘It’s all good”
Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit inside the pot, crunch it up into a ball, and wet it. Smooth out the damp paper and lay it over the lamb like a blanket (this will help keep in the moisture). Put lid on pot and place in oven for 1 1/2 hours.
7. Take the lid off (and if using a pot, set parchment paper aside). Stir in chickpeas and pumpkin.
8. Put lid back on (if using pot, relay parchment paper over lamb). Put back in oven and cook for final 30 minutes.
(I will admit, while my tagine makes enough food for 6, when I added the pumpkin and chickpeas, I had to remove some of the marinade/sauce as it was overflowing. I put this extra marinade in a small bowl and added it back to the lamb when I transferred it into a larger dish)
9. Season with salt and pepper (mine didn’t need it). Served with lemon and extra parsley. I also served mine with quinoa.
The art of living like Gwyneth
Carey & Bell 