I’m delighted to be a ‘Lambassador’ for the European Lamb – Tasty, Easy, Fun campaign again this year and to spread some ‘lamb love’ on the blog today. The aim of the campaign is to show the versatility of lamb as a key ingredient and how easy it is to cook, hence the campaign name: ‘Lamb – Tasty, Easy Fun’.
My favourite way to cook lamb is always with spices. From lamb shawarma to lamb koftas, from Turkish pizza to lamb tagine, I can’t get enough of lamb cooked with Middle Eastern or North African flavours.
Last year I shared a delicious recipe for lamb skewers with spices and raisin tabouleh and this year I chose a lovely lamb tagine with prunes and almonds that is very easy to whip up. You can buy a beautiful shoulder of lamb at your local butcher and ask them to debone it for you (unless you want to give it a go yourself) and while the recipe sounds exotic the other ingredients are widely available in any supermarket. All you need to do is throw the ingredients into a casserole and let the magic happen. The finished dish is a flavoursome, warming lamb dish that will please your partner, friends or family.
For more lamb recipe information you can visit www.tastyeasylamb.ie or check out the hashtag #TastyEasyLamb and you’ll see how lamb is a versatile, fun and easy ingredient to cook with.
Lamb Tagine with Prunes and Almonds Recipe
Serves 4 (Preparation: 15 min / Cooking time: 90 min)
Ingredients:
1 kg lamb shoulder, cut into 2.5cm cubes
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 large pinch saffron threads
Salt
Pepper
500 ml lamb stock
100g blanched almond
2 tbsp runny honey
250g pitted prunes
A small bunch of coriander
A knob of butter
Method
Heat the oil and butter in a hob-proof casserole dish on a high heat, add the lamb and cook until browned.
Add the onion, cinnamon, ginger, saffron and coriander. Season and cover with lamb stock. Bring to the boil, cover and leave to simmer on a very low heat for 1 hour.
Toast the almonds in a dry non-stick pan. Add to the casserole dish with the honey and prunes. Cook uncovered for a further 30 minutes (add a little extra water if needed).
Remove the bunch of coriander, season to taste and serve hot with couscous and some steamed vegetables.
Tip: For extra authenticity add 1 tsp of orange blossom water before serving.
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post in partnership with ‘Lamb. Tasty Easy Fun’.
