Lamb leg steaks with aubergine tagine
What better dinner for two than a spiced, aromatic tagine with tender, charred lamb steaks covered in a fragrant chermoula?
Ingredients
For the tagine
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 2³¦³¾/¾¾±²Ô ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ½ tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 bunch coriander, stalks and leaves separated and chopped
- 2 aubergines, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 400g/14oz tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp saffron
- 1 tbsp harissa paste
- 400g/14oz tin chickpeas
- 300ml/10fl oz chicken stock
- 1–2 tbsp runny honey
- 1 bunch flatleaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the chermoula
- ½ bunch mint, finely chopped
- ½ bunch coriander, finely chopped
- ½ bunch parsley, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and crushed
- 2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and crushed
- ½ red onion, diced
- 2 red chillies, diced
- 3 preserved lemons, diced
- 4–6 tbsp olive oil
For the lamb
Method
To make the tagine, heat the oil in a casserole dish or large pan and fry the onion, garlic, ginger and cinnamon stick with the cumin seeds, bay leaf and chopped coriander stalks until soft. Add the aubergine and fry gently for 10 minutes.
Stir through the tomato purée and chopped tomatoes, then add the saffron, harissa, chickpeas, stock and honey and stir to combine. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, to make the chermoula, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl until combined.
To cook the lamb, heat the olive oil in a frying pan until hot. Season the steaks on both sides, then add them to the pan and cook for 4–5 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness. The meat should still be pink in the middle.
Spoon the chermoula over the lamb steaks and leave them to rest somewhere warm for the same amount of time that you cooked them for.
Taste the tagine and season to taste. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf and stir through the coriander and parsley. Spoon the tagine onto two plates with the lamb steaks alongside, or slice the meat and arrange on top.
