Lamb & Aubergine Tagine

Dairy-free – Gluten-free – Grain-free

Introduction:

Tagines are Moroccan classics. Their name refers to the type of pot used in their preparation: a tagine being a flat dish with a conical lid. Tagines are quite easy to find here in the UK, if you can’t find one this dish can be prepared quite easily in a casserole dish or ovenproof lidded pan, though the resultant dish is ever so slightly different.

Preparation & Cooking Time: 30 minutes preparation, 2 hours cooking

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

  • 600g diced lamb
  • 2 large aubergines
  • 8 large ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 2 large onions, finely sliced
  • 2 red peppers, finely sliced
  • 5cm piece fresh root ginger
  • 6 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 2 red chillies
  • Juice of 2 lemons
  • 1 litre of chicken stock
  • Approx. 3 tbsp. coconut oil, melted or olive oil
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Fresh mint or/and coriander leaf to garnish

Spices:

  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. nutmeg, grated or ground
  • 2 tsp. paprika
  • 1 tbsp. ground coriander

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 160°C.
  2. Cut the aubergines into a large dice, approx. 1” x 1”. Sprinkle with a tablespoon of salt, cover with cling film and place to one side.
  3. Meanwhile, finely grate the ginger into a bowl.
  4. Place the spices into a bowl and add the diced lamb. Mix to coat the meat thoroughly.
  5. Take a suitably sized tagine dish or lidded pan and grease the base with 1 tbsp. of coconut oil or olive oil. Add half of the sliced onion, then a little garlic, sliced peppers, and finally the spiced lamb.
  6. Remove the aubergines from their bowl and drain in a colander. A good amount of liquid should have been released due to the salt. Arrange the aubergine pieces on top of the lamb, layer them with the remaining onion, garlic and pepper, and season well.
  7. Pour over the lemon juice, ginger juice and chicken stock. Cut the preserved lemon into 6 pieces and push them down into the contents of the dish. Do the same with the whole chillies. The chillies are kept whole in order to impart their flavour and just a mild amount of heat. If you prefer your food a little spicier cut the chillies into pieces and layer them with the onions, peppers, etc.
  8. Top the whole thing with the chopped tomatoes, season once more, drizzle over the remaining coconut or olive oil and cover with a lid. Transfer to the oven.
  9. After 30 minutes reduce the oven temperature to 150°C. Cook for a further 1 ½ hours.
  10. Remove from the oven and finish with fresh mint/coriander.

Serving suggestions: Cauliflower tabbouleh is a perfect accompaniment to this dish. Simply blitz up fresh raw cauliflower florets in a food processor, mix with plenty of fresh herbs and pomegranate seeds, season and serve. Delicious!

 

Blueberry & Apple Crumble Pots

Serve with vanilla cashew cream

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the crumble topping:

  • 50g Medjool dates
  • 50g hazelnuts (or nut of your choice)
  • 120g ground almonds
  • 100g coconut oil

For the Filling:

  • 3 cooking apples (peeled, cored and chopped)
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 200g blueberries
  • 2 tbsp. water

Method:

  1. Pre heat the oven 180C.
  2. Places the apples in a saucepan with the lemon juice. Add the water, bring to a gentle simmer.
  3. When the apple is starting to break up add the blueberries (keep a handful aside for garnishing once crumbles are cooked) and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
  4. Remove from the heat and pour into 4 oven proof ramekins and leave to cool.
  5. Pulse the Medjool dates and nuts in the food processor and then transfer to a large mixing bowl.
  6. Melt the coconut oil gently in a small pan over a low heat. Add to the date and nut mixture, along with the ground almonds. Work together until a crumbly mixture that clings together is formed (add a little more coconut oil if the mixture is too dry).
  7. Spread the crumble mixture on top of the fruit filling and then bake in the oven for 20- 25 minutes.
  8. Add the remaining blueberries on top before serving.
  9. Serve with cashew cream or coconut cream

 

Vanilla Cashew Cream

Ingredients:

  • 1 mug cashews, soaked for 2 hours
  • 1/4-1/2 mug of water depending on desired thickness
  • 2 Medjool dates
  • Seeds from 1 vanilla pod or ½ tsp. vanilla extract
  • A pinch of sea salt

Method:

Throw everything into the blender and blast on high until thick and creamy. It is a good idea to start with ¼ mug of water, and then gradually thin it out in order to achieve the desired thickness.

**Please note – you will need a high-speed blender in order to achieve a really creamy consistency. With a conventional blender, you must soak the cashews by covering with room temperature water for about 4 hours, or the quick way – by covering with boiling water for 15 minutes.