Road To Morocco Lamb With Pine Nut Couscous Recipes

Steps:

• Place the lamb in a resealable food storage bag. Combine the spices in a small bowl, then sprinkle them into the bag and seal the bag. Shake to coat the lamb pieces evenly in the spices.
• Heat a large, deep skillet over medium-high to high heat. Add the EVOO, then the lamb. Sear and caramelize the lamb, turning to brown all sides, 5 to 7 minutes in all. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 5 minutes more. Add the dates and 2 cups of the chicken stock to the pan and cover. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes more to plump the dates and soften the onions. Remove the cover and adjust the seasonings.
• During the last 5 minutes the lamb cooks, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the pine nuts and stir until toasted, 1 or 2 minutes. Add the remaining 2 cups of stock and bring it to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, add the couscous, and cover the pan. Let it stand for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff the couscous with a fork.
• Serve the lamb over the couscous in shallow dishes and garnish it with chopped scallions and cilantro.
• Make a double or triple batch of this spice blend to use with ground chicken or turkey for an unexpected Moroccan burger. The spice blend will keep for 6 months in an airtight container.

Steps:

• Cover the chops with waxed paper or plastic and whack each chop with the heel of your palm to flatten it out. Season chops with salt and pepper on both sides. Combine cumin, coriander and paprika and sprinkle the mixture evenly over chops. Pat the spices in place and wash up. Let chops stand 15 minutes.
• Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan. Add peppers and onions. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper and cook together 5 minutes, then add grape tomatoes and continue to cook until skins begin to burst on tomatoes. Add half the flat-leaf parsley to the skillet and toss. Transfer vegetables to a platter and cover with loose foil to hold heat.
• Place a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil in a small pot for couscous, just eyeball the amount. Heat oil over medium heat and add garlic. Saute garlic 1 minute then add the pine nuts to toast a little. Add chicken stock to the pot and bring it up to a boil. Add couscous, remove from heat, and cover the pot. Let stand for 5 minutes.
• Return skillet to stove and add another tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, a turn of the pan. Add lamb chops to skillet and sear 2 to 3 minutes on each side for medium rare, cook 4 minutes on each side for medium well chops. Place chops on top of the peppers and onions.
• Fluff couscous with a fork and stir in mint and the remaining parsley. Pass couscous at the table. It makes a nice bed for the veggies and lamb to catch all the juices.

Steps:

• The day before serving, season the meat heavily with salt and pepper, and sear it in a frying pan with one tablespoon of the oil. Then preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Put the meat in a pot, add a little water, and braise, covered, for about 2 hours, or until tender. Set aside to cool, and then refrigerate overnight.
• Also the day before serving, heat the remaining oil in another pot, and sauté the leek and the onions. When the onions are translucent, add the turnips, carrots, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, ras el hanout, salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, and garlic. Cover the vegetables and spices with water, and simmer, covered, until the carrots are tender.
• The next day, cut the lamb into 2-inch chunks, and put it in the pot with the vegetables. Add the zucchini. Simmer slowly until the zucchini is just cooked but still bright green. Adjust seasonings, and stir in the harissa sauce. (I also serve more at the table, so that people can adjust the heat to their taste.)
• Stir together the harissa, couscous broth, salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, cinnamon, and Spanish pepper in a small bowl. Serve with the couscous.

Steps:

• Place the lamb in a bowl. Sprinkle over the paprika, half the onion, 1 tbsp vinegar and ½ tbsp oil. Season, then set aside.
• To make the couscous, boil the kettle and tip the couscous into a heatproof bowl. Stir in the pine nuts, dates, lemon zest and half the juice. Pour over 140ml just-boiled water, push the coucous to the sides of the bowl, cover, then leave to stand for 10 mins.
• Heat grill to high. Lift the lamb out of its marinade, grill for 2-3 mins on each side, then rest, wrapped in foil, for 10 mins. Stir half the chopped herbs and some seasoning into the couscous, then add the remaining lemon juice to taste. Mix together the remaining herbs, red onion, vinegar, oil and seasoning to make a herby vinaigrette. Serve the lamb and couscous with the vinaigrette.