Lamb Tagine with Chickpeas and Apricots

I recently came across the below recipe for lamb tagine while flipping through Bon Appetit magazine at the airport. The recipe reminded me of a great halibut tagine dish that I had at a cooking class in Sonoma and I knew I had to give the recipe a try. It was beyond good. Brady and I absolutely loved this recipe. I know lamb sounds a little intimidating and expensive but this dish was so cheap and easy to make. I made the whole dish for under $20 and while it may cook for awhile (almost 2 hours), all you have to do is brown the meat and throw everything in the pot to cook and 2 hours later you have a restaurant quality dish.

One thing to point out, Ras-el-Hanout might be a challenge to find. I looked at Whole Foods where I bought the lamb and they didn't have it. I ended up having to go to a spice shop to buy the Moroccan spice blend. It can be made at home if you have a spice mill but if you have a spice shop around you I think that's the best way to go. I got a small baggie for about $2 plus it was fun to check out all of the spices available.

Lamb Tagine with Chickpeas and Apricots
** adapted from Bon Appetit

Serves 4
Prep/Cook Time: 2 hours

1 can chickpeas
4 garlic cloves (2 whole, 2 chopped)
2 T. olive oil
1.5 pounds lamb shoulder, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 large onion, diced
3 tsp Ras-el-Hanout spice blend
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp chopped peeled ginger
1 cup canned diced tomatoes with juices
2 cups (or more) low-salt chicken stock
1/4 cup halved dried apricots
steamed couscous
chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in a large heavy pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Working in a couple batches, brown lamb on all sides, about 4 minutes per batch. Transfer lamb to a bowl and set aside. Add the chopped onion to the pot; reduce heat to medium, season with salt and pepper, and saute until soft and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add chopped garlic, Ras-el-Hanout, cinnamon and ginger. Stir for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and lamb and any juices from the lamb. Bring to boil. Add the stock and return to a boil, reduce heat to low, partially cover, and simmer until lamb is tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Make sure to stir occasionally.

Stir in chickpeas and apricots; simmer until heated through, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon couscous into bowls and spoon lamb over top. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Whole Wheat Pasta with Butternut Squash, Ground Lamb, and Halloumi

You may have noticed by now that I am a big fan of other peoples food blogs. I am not one of those people that just throws random things together for dinner.  I like collecting recipes, I enjoy planning my grocery list, and I love directions... yes I realize that I am completely type A.  I am sure that I could use my imagination and come up with something on my own but I would much prefer to follow the directions of other bloggers and cookbook authors.

Eats Well with Others is a food blog that Brady recently came across and so many of the recipes look great. Brady found this recipe last week and made it for me on Saturday night.  It was awesome!  The squash went perfectly with the ground lamb and I loved the cinnamon and cumin flavor.  One of the other things that I loved about this dish was that it wasn't heavy.  While it's a pasta dish it only uses 8 ounces of whole wheat pasta (and yes, you only need the 8 oz) and the bulk of the dish really comes from the squash. 

Whole Wheat Pasta with Butternut Squash, Ground Lamb, and Halloumi
** from Eats Well with Others
print recipe

Serves: 2-4

1 (2 lb) butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeded, and chopped into smaller cubes
1 tbsp olive oil
8 oz ground lamb
2 1/2 cups onion, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
8 oz multi-grain or whole wheat pasta
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
1/2 cup grated halloumi or kasseri cheese, divided

Preheat the oven to 450.  Spray squash with olive oil cooking spray.  Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and toss to coat.  Transfer squash to a large rimmed baking sheet.  Roast until tender and brown around the edges, 30-35 minutes.  Remove from oven and set aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add lamb and onions.  Saute until lamb is browned and onions soften, about 7-8 minutes.  Add garlic and the next 3 ingredients; stir 1 minute.  Stir in tomatoes and broth and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits.  Reduce heat and simmer until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes.  Stir in squash.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook pasta in large pot of salted boiling water until just tender but still firm to the bite.  Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.  Return pasta to the pot.  Add lamb mixture, half of the cilantro, and half of the cheese.  Toss.  Add reserved cooking liquid as needed to moisten.  Season with salt and pepper.  Transfer to bowls and garnish with remaining cilantro and cheese.

Orzo with Lamb, Olives and Feta

While in Seattle over Labor Day weekend I bought various dried pastas from Papparedelle's at Pike's Place Market.  I bought a Lemon Garlic Orzo that Brady and I have been meaning to make but just haven't come across the perfect recipe.  Last week Brady found a recipe on Eatingwell.com for Orzo with Lamb, Olives and Feta and we knew we had a winner. 

Last night we made the dish and we both absolutely loved it.  Not only did it taste great, but it was cheap, healthy, and quick to make on a busy work night.  Plus it had olives which some of you may know from earlier posts makes me very happy :) 

Brady and I were both in agreement that this was a great dish for this time of year.  I'm not sure how to describe it, but it just tasted like fall.  I think that it had to do with the incredibly flavorful lamb and the touch of cinnamon.  The dish was filling but not heavy and in my mind seems like perfect comfort food without all the calories.

The Lemon Garlic Orzo that we used was great and I definitely recommend ordering some pasta from Papparedelle's but I think the recipe would be just as good with regular orzo.  Beef could definitely be substituted but I have to say that the lamb had a flavor all of its own that we both really enjoyed.  This isn't an overly meaty dish, but again due to the great flavor, a little goes a long way- which I plan to go back to Whole Foods and tell the butcher because he seemed very skeptical that we could make anything with only 6oz of ground lamb- I think we proved him wrong!!

Orzo with Lamb, Olives and Feta
** from Eatingwell.com
print recipe

Prep/Cook Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4, about 1 1/2 cups each

6 oz. lean ground lamb, or ground beef
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp crumbled dried rosemary, or oregano- I did both
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 14oz can whole tomatoes, undrained
2 T. chopped, pitted black olives
salt and pepper, to taste
12 oz. orzo
crumbled feta to garnish

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil.

Cook lamb (or beef) in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring, until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain any grease and then set aside. 

Heat oil in Dutch oven or a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened 4-5 minutes. Add garlic, cinnamon, rosemary (or oregano) and crushed red pepper.  Cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add lamb (or beef).

Puree tomatoes and their juices in a food processor until smooth. Add to the meat mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened, about 8-10 minutes.  Meanwhile while meat mixture is thickening cook orzo for about 8 minutes. Once meat mixture is thickened, remove from heat and stir in olives. Season with salt and pepper. Drain cooked orzo and toss with meat mixture. Serve garnished with feta.

Per Serving: 461 Calories, and 9 g Fat