When I started this blog I wanted to share my experiences about food and drink as well. So here’s what I cooked up for dinner the other evening and very nice it was too:
Lamb Tagine with Aubergines
1 kg of lamb (leg or neck) cut into 2 cm chunks
1 large onion, thinly sliced
40 g of fresh flat-leaf parsley, stalks discarded and finely chopped
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp ground ginger (I use a garlic press for this)
1 cinnamon stick
pinch of saffron filaments
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 aubergines (about 300 g each) cut into 2 cm chunks
Put the lamb and the next six ingredients into a large pot. Add a little sea salt and some pepper. Cover with water (about 1 litre) and bring to the boil. Cover and let simmer.
Meanwhile, sprinkle the aubergines with salt and let them sweat for about 30 minutes, then rinse them with cold water and pat dry.
Add the aubergines to the meat and cook until they are very soft (about 20 minutes). If the sauce is too runny, increase the heat and reduce by boiling it uncovered.
Transfer to serving dish as is or mush the aubergines into the sauce first (I find this much more satisfying as it makes for a thicker sauce), but either way is very yummy.
Couscous à la mode de Tom
1 tbsp tomato concentrate
1 tsp harissa
1 tbsp ras al-hanout (Moroccan spice mix)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 large red peppers, diced
1 can (410 g) of chickpeas, drained
500 g pre-cooked couscous
1.2 litres of boiling water
1 handful of sultanas
20 g of fresh coriander, stalks discarded and finely chopped
juice of 1/2 small lemon
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a large pan, heat up the tomato concentrate with the harissa and the ras al-hanout, stirring constantly until the spices release their lovely aromas. Add the olive oil, the onions and the red peppers. Cook until soft, adding some of the boiling water if needed.
Add the rest of the ingredients, take off the heat and let the couscous absorb the water for about 10 to 15 minutes. Turn over with a wooden spoon and season to taste.
If you want to add a salad along the Moroccan theme, throw together some diced tomatoes, 1 diced and peeled cucumber, 2 chopped onions, some extra virgin olive oil and the juice of 1 to 2 lemons. Season with some ground cumin, chopped flat-leaf parsley, black pepper and sea salt.
This serves four hungry people with a nice bottle (or two) of Cabernet Sauvignon. Bon appétit!
