Easy Moroccan Lamb Tagine

I'm having a lot of fun at the moment restocking my freezer by cooking one pot meals like my Beef and Ale Stew - they're so easy to do and as they're cooked in one pot, cleaning up is a doddle.  Best of all, stews and casseroles use the most inexpensive cots of meat so are ridiculously thrifty.  Actually, Simply beef and lamb have a whole heap of slow-cook, frugal recipes on their LivePeasant pages and I've adapted one of theirs to create my version of a Moroccan Lamb Tagine Traditionally, this is served in a tagine dish - you know the one with the cone shaped lid - but you can do it in a casserole dish and nobody will know.

My Easy Moroccan Lamb Tagine

Actually, do you know the difference between a casserole, a stew and braising? Here you go:

Casserole: 

This happens inside your oven with heat circulating around the pot.  Usually ingredients are covered in a small amount of liquid and consists of pieces of meat, chopped vegetables, a starchy binder such as flour, rice, potato or pasta, all topped off with a crunchy or cheesy topping.  Like my Single Syn Cottage Pie, for example.

Stew: 
This is done on top of a cooker with heat directly under the pot. Stews are typically covered and cooked at a relatively low temperature, with the ingredients covered in a generous amount of liquid.  

Braising: 
Like casseroling, this method is done in the oven, but often with larger, whole pieces of meat that are cooked in a limited amount of liquid.

Anyway, back to my Lamb Tagine - I used rump as it was all that was available when I went to buy my lamb but shoulder and leg work brilliantly.  Pure laziness meant that I used a shop-bought tagine paste but you can make your own really easily.  And I do love sweet and savoury together so I recommend you try this with the apricots and pomegranates as they give a lovely contrast of flavours.

Easy Moroccan Lamb Tagine

1 tbsp Oil
650g Lamb, diced
2 Onions, peeled & quartered
2 Carrots, sliced into long chunks
1 Butternut Squash, peeled & diced
1 can Chickpeas, drained
1 jar Tagine Paste
250ml Chicken Stock
75g Dried Apricots, chopped

To serve : couscous, coriander & pomegranate seeds

Heat the oil in a casserole dish and fry the lamb quickly in two batches over a medium heat until browned on the outside and keep to one side.

Fry the onions in the casserole, scraping up the lamb residues as you go, for 3-4 minutes.  Add the carrot & butternut squash and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes.

Now add the chickpeas, tagine paste & stock, mixing well.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until the carrots are tender - this will take about 40 minutes.

Serve on a bed of steamed couscous and scatter with coriander and pomegranate seeds.

This freezes brilliantly by the way.  If you don't eat it all at once...