Warm your soul this chilly autumn evening with lamb spiced tagine

Have you noticed the sudden drop in temperature? Well if you haven’t, you’re sure to notice a sudden spike in your electricity bills, it’s getting pretty darn chilly in Melbourne. I’m learning to juggle meals that can be prepared between naps, not mine (I wish) rather the napping (& rather unpredictable) schedule of my bub. So a slow cooked meal offers the ease of chopping, throwing in a pot/tagine, heating and dashing off to bath/feed/burp/play with bub for a few hours before needing to serve dinner.

Lamb spiced tagine
400grams diced lamb
1 brown onion diced
1 small zucchini diced
1 half butternut pumpkin
1 red capsicum diced
2 cloves garlic diced
1/2 cup red wine (the other half for you of course)
1 cup chicken stock
3/4 cup pitted prunes
juice from 1/2 lemon
juice from 1 lime
olive oil
2 tbs paprika
2 tbs ground cumin
2 tbs ground ginger
2 tbs ground cardamon
2 tbs ground chilli
salt & pepper

Method
With your tagine (or casserole dish) place on the stove on a medium heat and add a dash of olive oil. Once heated add diced garlic and onions and stir until slightly browned. Toss through the diced lamb, zucchini, capsicum and all spices, add lemon and lime juice, red wine and chicken stock and cover. Turn heat down to low and allow to simmer for 45 minutes.

30 minutes into the tagine cooking time; Heat the oven to 180 degrees celsius,  skin the butternut pumpkin and slice into wedges. Place the pumpkin on a baking paper lined tray in the oven. Cook for approximately 40 minutes (or until pumpkin is soft). Remove from oven and mash with a dash of oil and freshly cracked pepper. Cover with aluminium foil to keep warm before serving.

After 45 minutes add prunes to the tagine and stir through. Cover with the lid and cook for a further 45 minutes before serving the tagine with pumpkin mash.