Serves 8-10

Ingredients

3 tbsp sunflower oil

1 kg boneless shoulder of lamb, cut into 2-3cm cubes, trimmed of fat or gristle

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 onions, peeled and finely sliced

6 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced

3 tsp ground cumin

3 tsp ground coriander

1 ½ tsp cayenne pepper

1 ½ tsp smoked paprika

3 tbsp tomato paste

300g dried apricots, chopped

1.5 litres chicken stock

3 x 400g tins of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 tbsp runny honey

Fresh coriander leaves to garnish

For the couscous

800ml chicken stock

600g couscous

4tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp chopped parsley

Methods

  1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/Fan 140°C/Gas mark 3.
  2. Pour the sunflower oil into a large casserole dish or oven-proof saucepan and heat over a high heat. Add the lamb and cook, stirring occasionally until well browned all over (about 3-4 minutes). Season with a little salt and pepper.
  3. Reduce the heat to a medium then add the onions and garlic and fry for 6-8 minutes. Stir in the spices and cook for another minute, then add the tomato paste, apricots and stock. Bring to the boil then cover with a lid and place in the oven.
  4. After 1 ½ hours, remove the dish from the oven and stir in the chickpeas and honey. Return to the oven and cook for a further 30 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile, to make the couscous, pour the stock into a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Stir in the couscous and olive oil then remove from the heat and allow to stand for 5 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed.
  6. Fluff up the couscous with a fork and stir in the parsley and season with pepper. Serve the couscous on warm plates topped with a ladle of the tagine, garnished with a few coriander leaves.