This Moroccan Fruity Lamb Mince Tagine with apricots and chickpeas is very easy and a perfect recipe for using up leftover lamb. A tagine is a traditional North African spiced dish. I've created a quick version of the recipe using lamb mince that is ready in just 35 minutes and can be cooked in a pan rather than a special tagine pot. It still has the lovely spices and traditional apricots and chickpeas, but this recipe is about simplicity rather than tradition.
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Leftover Lamb Tagine
A tagine recipe with apricots and chickpeas is perfect for using up leftover lamb. You can dice the lamb or turn it into mince. Follow the instructions in the recipe card and add the cooked lamb at stage one as you would with raw mince. This is to allow the leftover lamb to be cooked with the spices and take on the flavours. Another great dish for using up leftover lamb is Lamb Meatballs with Fruity Couscous and Tzatziki
A Fairtrade Tagine
Many of the ingredients for this fruity lamb tagine can be bought Fairtrade. The tumeric, ground cumin, dried apricots and chickpeas are all available as Fairtrade as well as the couscous and lemons. Fairtrade is a global movement. It works to make a difference in the lives of the farmers who produce our food and ensures that are paid a fair price. As well as this, the Fairtrade movement works hard to tackle climate change and promote sustainable farming practices. Check out my most popular Fairtrade recipes.
Other Fairtrade recipes you might like
People Ask...
A Tagine is a traditional stew like dish from Morocco that is slow cooked in a tagine pot. The stew is made with native African spices such as tumeric, cinnamon, saffron, ginger and cumin. It can also contain nuts or dried fruits such as apricots as well as herbs. A lamb tagine is probably the most common, but you can cook a tagine with any meat or even fish.
As well as the actual name of the dish, a Tagine is also the name of the Moroccan cooking pot the dish is traditionally made in. The pot has a round base, low sides and a cone shaped lid that you put over the base during cooking. The cone shaped lid is so that all the flavours that go up in the steam when the tagine is being cooked, fall back down and into the dish adding to the flavour. Whilst a traditional cooking pot is nice, you don't need one in order to make a tagine. A pan with a lid that fits will do just fine and this is what I use.
You can cook a tagine in the oven or on a hob / stove top. Traditionally they are cooked over large bricks of charcoal that stay hot for hours. The reason for cooking a tagine in an oven is so that you can cook it slowly over a longer period of time. Cooking for a long time on a stove top usually results in the stew burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan. This recipe is not a slow cook tagine so we are cooking it on the hob.
How to make it
- Add the oil to a large pan with a lid and fry the onion and mince over a medium heat until browned.
- Add the cumin, tumeric and coriander, stir into the mince and fry for 2 - 3 minutes.
- Pour over the lamb stock, bring it to a boil then reduce the heat and cook for 15 minutes.
- Put the couscous in a heat proof bowl, add the lemon zest and juice together with the stock. Cover the bowl with a tight fitting lid or upturned plate and leave it for 5 minutes. Uncover the bowl and fluff the couscous up with a fork and stir through the fresh mint.
- Add the drained chickpeas and dried apricots to the tagine and simmer for 5 minutes. then serve with the couscous
Serving Suggestion
Couscous originates from North Africa as does tagine and is I think the best accompaniment. I like to cook the couscous with some lemon juice to add some flavour. The acidity from the lemon juice contrasts nicely with the fattiness of the lamb.
Sustainability
A tagine is a tasty way of using up any leftover lamb, just put it through a food processor to turn it into mince. You can of course use fresh lamb mince. Remember if you are using leftover lamb you should only re-heat it once.
Storing Tagine
You can keep this dish in the fridge for 2 -3 days. A lamb tagine can be frozen for 3 - 4 months.
How to store & freeze cooked coucous
Couscous can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. It is best eaten fresh, but you can also freeze it for 3 - 4 months. Lay the couscous out on a tray and freeze flat for a few hours. When it is frozen, break up the grains and tip into an airtight container. To defrost couscous, put it in a dish in the microwave and add a few spoons of water. Alternatively, heat some oil and a couple of tablespoons of water in a saucepan. Add the couscous and heat it until it has absorbed the water. Fluff up the grains with a fork. When reheating any meat dish, make sure it is piping hot all the way through.
📖 Recipe
Moroccan Fruity Lamb Mince Tagine with Apricots
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon sunflower oil organic, fairtrade
- 1 onion organic, peeled and chopped
- 500 g lamb mince
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin organic, fairtrade
- 1 teaspoon ground tumeric organic, fairtrade
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander organic,
- 300 ml lamb stock organic, or vegetable stock
- 75 g dried apricots organic, fairtrade, chopped
- 240 g chickpeas organic, drained weight
Lemon and Mint Couscous
- 250 g couscous organic, fairtrade
- 2 lemons organic, fairtrade, juice and zest of
- 450 ml vegetable stock organic
- 4 tablespoon fresh mint organic, chopped
Instructions
- Add the oil to a large pan with a lid and fry the onion and mince over a medium heat until browned.2 tablespoon sunflower oil, 1 onion, 500 g lamb mince
- Add the cumin, tumeric and coriander and fry for 2 - 3 minutes.1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground tumeric, 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- Add the lamb stock, bring it to a boil then reduce the heat and cook for 15 minutes.300 ml lamb stock
- Put the couscous in a heat proof bowl, add the lemon zest and juice together with the stock. Cover the bowl with a tight fitting lid or upturned plate and leave it for 5 minutes. Uncover the bowl and fluff the couscous up with a fork and stir through the mint.250 g couscous, 2 lemons, 450 ml vegetable stock, 4 tablespoon fresh mint
- Add the drained chickpeas and apricots to the tagine and simmer for 5 minutes. then serve with the couscous75 g dried apricots, 240 g chickpeas
Notes
Serving Suggestion
Couscous originates from North Africa as does tagine and is I think the best accompaniment. I like to cook the couscous with some lemon juice to add some flavour. The acidity from the lemon juice contrasts nicely with the fattiness of the lamb.Storage
You can keep this dish in the fridge for 2 -3 days. The actual tagine can be frozen for 3 - 4 months. Couscous is best eaten fresh, but you can freeze it for 3 - 4 months. Lay the couscous out on a tray and freeze flat for a few hours. When it is frozen, break up the grains and tip into an airtight container. To defrost couscous, put it in a dish in the microwave and add a few spoons of water. Alternatively, heat some oil and a couple of tablespoons of water in a saucepan. Add the couscous and heat it until it has absorbed the water. Fluff up the grains with a fork. When reheating any meat dish, make sure it is piping hot all the way through.Nutrition per serving
The Nutritional Values are computer generated estimates based on industry standards and are provided as a helpful guide only.
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