Most Mondays the in laws stay
over in the middle of their weekly two day soextremelyhelpfulthankyouthankyouthankyou
childcare odyssey. Because they’ve gotten up at some ungodly hour, travelled to our
house, looking after the bratlings all day, and have to get up and do it all in
reverse the next day, I think they deserve a ‘proper meal’. One with meat in
it. Although they like pasta, I’m not sure spag bol cuts it for them, and there
are only so many times I can do roast or poached chicken. So, while raiding Dad’s
bookshelves I’ve been on the look out for tasty, meaty, EASY, but not boring, meals (without
chili because they don’t like it), which include lots of carbs, but no faffy
potato-peeling.
This is so perfect – I can even do
everything except add the couscous the night before. The kids can eat any left
overs and it has amazing depth of flavour. How actually Moroccan it is I don’t
know (the book is by Greg Malouf, an Australian chef, and is full of delicious
but slightly fusiony things) particularly as I’ve messed the recipe around a
bit. The original has chilli powder and
fresh chili in – I left them out and thought I would be pining for the heat,
but it really doesn’t seem to be missing anything. I also put in a lot more
couscous that he specified. The original is called a ‘soup’ but honestly, that’s
not what you feed two slaves loving grandparents at the end of a long day is
it? So this is definitely a stew.
North African Couscous Stew – serves two working parents and two exhausted
grandparents
350-400g lamb leg steak – you can
get these at the butcher’s counter, or on the shelves, and it's usually less than a
fiver – chopped bite size
1 onion, chopped before you’ve even
got your coat off
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp coriander seeds, dry
roasted and ground
1 tbsp cumin seeds, dry roasted
and ground
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon paprika (he said ‘sweet’,
I had ‘smoked’, pis aller)
1 can chopped tomato
1 tsp honey
1 tin chickpeas
Chicken stock cube
About 100g couscous (I think, see
below)
Parsley and mint if you have them
Lemon if you have one
Saute the lamb in olive oil, and
remove.
Cook the onion high until it’s
soft.
Add the garlic, and all the
spices, and mix in.
Then put the lamb back in and add
the tomatoes and honey.
Stir, the stock cube, and enough
water to sort of come nearly to the top of the lamb cubes. Not too much.
Prod
the stock cube until it dissolves into lovely saltiness.
Let it cook for around 45 minutes
with a lid on. Halfway through, stir in the chickpeas. (or make it all in
advance and let it sit).
When you’re ready, turn the heat
off and stir in the couscous. Put the lid back on and let it sit for five
minutes. I like to use enough couscous that, when it’s soft, the stew is very
wet but full of couscous.
Sprinkle and squeeze the herbs
and lemon. Serve with Greek yoghurt. Be nice to your in laws.
