two ways with mince

A rather boring title for my first proper blog post for 2012 I know, but here are a couple of tasty dinners we have enjoyed lately. I am not too much of a meat snob, and provided it is decent mince I quite enjoy cooking with it.  A recent visit to Nikau inspired this dinner above - crispy Moroccan-style lamb on hummus.  The trick to getting it crispy is having a hot hot pan (cast iron would be best) and not cooking too much mince at once as it cools the pan down and ends up stewing.  So tempting I know to chuck it all in, but don't.  My rendition was more heavily spiced than Nikau's, so suit yourself in that regard, but it was still delicious.  We ate it with warm pita and a salad of roasted eggplant and red pepper.

To make a quick hummus in the food processor I blend a tin of drained, rinsed chickpeas with the juice of a lemon, salt, a clove of garlic and a spoonful of tahini if I have it. Then I add little pour of olive oil and a good dollop of yoghurt to loosen it; I like my hummus to be fairly sloppy in texture and sharp in taste.

crispy spiced lamb with hummus and herbs

 rice bran oil

1 onion, sliced

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp cinnamon

400g lamb mince

chopped fresh mint and Italian parsley to serve

roasted almonds/pistachios/pinenuts or dukkah to serve

Slowly cook the onion until golden and tender, add the spices and fry gently for a few minutes. Put aside.

Just heat oil in a pan until smoking hot, add the lamb, breaking it into little bits with your spoon and fry until dark brown, stir through the onion mix and continue cooking.

Tip onto a plate spread generously with hummus, scatter with the herbs and nuts and serve with pita bread.

Pork mince is another favourite starting point for a quick dinner. The pork spring rolls below Mum made; don't let the fact that the recipe comes from Food in a Minute put you off,  they are very tasty.  I think homemade spring rolls are the only way to go - comfortingly you can rely on the filling being identifiable, and ensure a good ratio of filling to pastry.  This version is brushed with oil and baked in a hot oven, so they are pleasantly free of excess grease. You can find the recipe here.

Dinner date - moroccan chicken

Moroccan chicken is another recipe in my repertoire that comes via the Manley family. Although not the most photogenic of dishes, it really is worth a try as it tastes much better than it looks here. Below is the recipe, as written by Libby (from her memory) in an email to me about 3 years ago;

Toast about a cup of blanched almonds (can do this in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes). Chop roughly in the food processor (you can reserve a few whole ones to scatter on top if you like).

Brown chicken (about 500g or however much you want) and a finely chopped onion. Add 1 tsp each of turmeric, cinnamon and cumin. Cook for a minute or two. Add 1-2 cups of liquid (it is nice to use about half and half orange juice and water), ground almonds, 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of honey (you don't need much if you have used orange juice) and the zest of one lemon if you have one. And then add the best part.... Prunes! As many as you like, about 1/2-1 cup. Simmer for about 20 minutes, adding more liquid if necessary.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds and whole toasted almonds if you have them but is just as delicious without. Serve with quinoa or couscous and salad.

Dinner date - from Morocco to my house

When Lewi was in Morocco a few years back she bought this tagine. It has sat on display looking pretty until recently when it was deemed time for its maiden voyage. So, lamb with figs and sesame seeds was on the menu, served with couscous with roast pumpkin, raisins and almonds. This was a yummy, satisfying winter meal - it was subtly spiced, and I'm told it tasted just like the tagines in Morocco. The recipe comes from Julie Le Clerc and John Bougen's book 'Made in Morocco'.

ahmed's tagine of lamb with figs and sesame seeds

1kg lamb shoulder steaks cut into 5cm pieces (we used lamb shanks)

2 onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander

2 teaspoons simple Moroccan spice blend*

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon each ground ginger and paprika

1/2 teaspoon saffron threads dissolved in 1/2 cup boiling water

1/2 cup olive oil

salt & pepper

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Place lamb in the base of a large tagine with onions and brown over a medium heat for 5-10 mins. Add remaining ingredients to the pan, except sesame seeds. Cover pan and bring the liquid to the boil, then turn down the heat to simmer for 1-1/2 hours, turning the lamb once or twice, until lamb is tender and the liquid is much reduced. The cooking can alternatively be done in an oven heated to 180C. Adjust seasoning of sauce with salt and pepper to taste and skim any excess fat from the surface. Spoon caramelised figs over finished tagine and sprinkle with sesame seeds to serve.

Caramelised fig topping

2 cup dried figs

2 cups cold water

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

While the tagine is cooking. simmer figs in water until softened, then add sugar and cinnamon and continue simmering until liquid is reduced and figs are caramelised.

*Moroccan spice blend: combine 2 teaspoons each ground cumin, coriander, paprika, ginger and cinnamon, 1 teaspoon each ground white pepper and turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon each chili powder and ground nutmeg.

couscous with roast pumpkin, raisins and almonds

1/2 large pumpkin

olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 onion, peeled and chopped

1-1/2 cups chicken or vege stock

1-1/2 cups instant couscous

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds

1/3 cup chopped fresh coriander

Preheat oven to 200C. Cut pumpkin into 2cm cubes and place in an oven pan. Drizzle with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss well. Roast for 30 minutes until pumpkin is tender and golden brown.

Meanwhile heat 2-3 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan and cook onion and garlic over a moderate heat for 5-10 minutes, until softened but not coloured. Add stock and bring to the boil. Stir in couscous, then remove pan from heat, cover and leave to steam for 10 minutes to soften. Remove covering and fluff up couscous with a fork. Season well with salt and pepper to taste. Combine couscous with raisins, toasted almonds, coriander and hot pumpkin and toss well to serve.