Spicy lamb with apricot couscous or rice

10 minutes to prepare
40 minutes to cook

Ingredients:

• cooking oil
• 350g lamb neck fillet, trimmed and cut into chunks
• 2 red onions
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 300ml (1/2 pint) chicken stock made from a cube
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 400g can of apricots in juice
• 150g (5.1/2 oz) couscous or rice
• fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped roughly.

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a deep, lidded pan.
2. Add the lamb and cook for 2-3 minutes until brown.
3. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes before adding the garlic and spices.
4. Add the stock and tomatoes.
5. Drain the apricots, reserving the juice. Roughly chop the drained apricots and add to the pan.
6. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 25 minutes until the lamb is tender.
7. Bring a pan of 300ml (1/2 pint) of water and the reserved apricot juice to the boil, add the rice or couscous and cook until tender.
8. Add the chopped parsley to the rice or couscous and serve with the lamb.

N.B. I always buy 2 packs of best end neck (about 450g) because you do need to trim off the fat before cooking. Also, I add more spices, about a teaspoon of each. The lamb can be made in advance, which will let the flavours develop and you can use lean leg fillets, less fat but more expensive.