Chermoula, without doubt a great word in it’s own right, is a delicious North African blend of spices with loads of interesting, spicy, warming aromas. Cumin, paprika, dried parsley combine with other aromatic spices which can be used as a dry rub or marinade for chicken, fish or vegetables. Here, cooked into a hearty lamb stew with a bit of saffron and some squash, it creates a delicious, hearty, Autumnal stew. Cous-cous would be a traditional side dish for this, but I am using spelt just because it is so healthy, nutty and delicious.
Enjoy!
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Loading...Ingredients
- 600g diced lamb (neck, leg or shoulder).
- 1 onion
- 2 tablespoons chermoula powder
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 or 2 red chillis
- 500ml chicken stock
- 1 400g can of chickpeas
- A pinch of saffron
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree.
- 2 carrots, cut into large chunks
- 1 small acorn squash or similar
- Handful of dried dates and apricots
- 1 lemon
- Fresh coriander and crushed pistachios to serve (optional)
Instructions
Fry the lamb in batches for 2-3 minutes in the pan that you will use to make the casserole. Deglaze the burnt bits that are stuck to the bottom and set the browned lamb to one side.
Prepare your chicken stock and add a few pinches of saffron to infuse.
Finely slice the onion and fry over a low heat in a large pan. Add the carrots, sliced garlic cloves and the sliced chillis. Add the chermoula and cook for 1-2 minutes. It should smell great!
Add the tomato puree and stir well.
Cover with the stock, return the lamb to the pan, season with salt and pepper and mix well.
Transfer to a pre-heated oven, 170º and cook for 1 hour.
After 1 hour, remove the pan from the oven and add the drained chickpeas and the peeled and chopped squash.
Peel 3-4 large slices of lemon rind and add to the stew. Slice the dried apricots and dates and also add these to the rapidly-filling pan!
Cook for another 45 minutes and leave to cool. Serve with some chopped pistachios, a few coriander leaves and maybe scatter a few almond flakes for good measure.
Notes
I get my chermoula pre-prepared from online suppliers like Spice Mountain, but you can make your own with a blend of cumin, paprika and dried parsley. Mix it up with a bit of cinnamon or chilli powder. Any squash will work, eg butternut.
Brina
September 27, 2020 at 4:20 pmLooks delicious! 😋