Tagine of Lamb with Pumpkin and Chickpeas

Tagine of lamb with

pumpkin and chickpeas

One of my favourite tagines is the classic lamb, here

paired with the sweetness of pumpkin. This dish is great

with couscous and a simple salad of oranges and dates.  

Add dried fruits such as dats, apricots or raisins to give the

tagine an extra sweet-and-sour taste. 

7OOg lamb shoulder, cut into 3cm dice

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

5OOg butternut pumpkin, peeled and cut

into 3cm dice

juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp honey

sea salt

2OOg canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Chermoula

juice of 1 lemon

½ bunch flat-leaf parsley

1 bunch coriander

1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced into

half moons

4 cloves garlic

2 tbsp ras el hanout (North African spice mix)

1 tbsp sea salt

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp mild chilli powder

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 cup olive oil

Serves 4

FOR THE CHERMOULA: puree all the

ingredients, except the oil, in a food processor.

Add the oil slowly to make a wet paste.

MARINATE THE LAMB in half the chermoula

paste for 1 hour.

PLACE THE OIL in a saute pan large

enough to fit the lamb and pumpkin, with

a close-fitting lid, over a high heat. Fry the

lamb for 5 minutes (this may need to be done

in batches) until it is well-coloured. Add the

pumpkin, the remaining chermoula paste,

lemon juice, honey, salt and 3 cups water.

Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to

a slow simmer with the lid on. Cook for iVi

hours or until the meat is tender. Fold in the

chickpeas to warm them.

PLACE SOME COUSCOUS into each bowl,

spoon the tagine on top and serve with the

orange, almond and chopped date salad on

the side.