Lamb and Chickpea Tagine with Dried Apricots

Method

Spice mixture:

1. Place all the ingredients in a jug and blend with a stick blender to form a coarse paste. If you don’t have a stick blender you can chop all the fresh ingredients together and mix them with the rest of the ingredients until well blended into a spice mixture.

Lamb:

1. Heat half the oil over medium temperature in a large saucepan or wok. Brown lamb in batches until just golden brown – it will however not be cooked. Return all the lamb to the saucepan, add the spice mixture and sauté until well coated and aromatic. Spoon out and set aside.
2. Add remaining oil and onions, cinnamon and cardamom pods. Sprinkle brown sugar over and sauté until onions are caramelised.
3. Stir in tomatoes and bring to a boil. Return spice-coated lamb to the sauce.
4. Allow to simmer with a lid on for 1 hour-1 hour 15 minutes or until the lamb is almost cooked. Gently stir in chickpeas with the liquid and apricots, without breaking the meat apart.
5. Simmer for another 15 minutes or until the lamb is tender and the sauce is heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Serve with warm flatbreads or as is. Alternatively, brown basmati rice or couscous will also be delicious. Garnish with almonds, coriander leaves and lemon rind.