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The perfect winter warmer
When it comes to soups and stews, I get picky. Most recipes, especially the ones that claim to be easy-peasy one-potwonders, taste anything but wondrous. They lure you in with promises of short preparation times, large quantities (a portion of which could be frozen for another occasion) and the wow factor on everybody's lips as you ladle out your handy work. But is it that simple? In my opinion, it's tricky getting that balance between succulent meat and firm veg right in a stew. More often than not either your meat turns out as hoped for but the veg disappear into a mushy, obscure mass somewhere in the lurky depths of the pot or else you're left with firm carrots and potatoes but tough, unjuicy chunks of beef or lamb.
Smooth texture
When it comes to soups, texture is key where I'm concerned. I like my soups either velvety smooth or as clear broths speckled sparingly with complimentary ingredients for a nice visual and taste contrast. Folk underestimate the appetizing appeal of a well-presented dish - a tiny sprig of parsley can make all the difference. I abhor lumpy, over-worked soups of any kind even if they carry a seductive French name (which says something as I have been known to be partial to French cuisine), an easy feat to achieve especially through the misuse of the hand blender. I know certain individuals (and if they're reading this they know who they are too) who seem to have gone ‘blitzing' mad! They keep their hand blenders close - like a Garda wearing a baton on his hip - and pull them out at the slightest excuse to feel the thrill of the blitz!
But these are just harmless observations and not intended to dash the efforts that go into making a homemade meal especially one from scratch. If you're someone like me who enjoys a comforting bowl of soup or stew on occasion but have found it difficult to build a repertoire of recipes that work for you let me suggest one of my own favourites: Moroccan lamb tagine.
Moroccan lamb tagine
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp allspice
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp rosemary, dried
- ¼ tsp cardamom, ground
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 115g dried figs
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 1 kg diced lamb
- 3 tbsp fresh coriander leaves
- ¼ cup oil
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- Juice of ½ a small lemon
- Honey to taste
- Salt to taste
Preparation:
Heat the oil until very hot in a large saucepan and brown the lamb - set aside.
Reduce the heat to a medium-low, add the onion and cook until soft. Then mix in spice and stir fry for half a minute.
Return the meat to the saucepan and stir in vinegar, tomato puree, 1.5 pints of water, coriander leaves, raisins and salt to taste. Boil for five minutes.
Cover the saucepan and cook over a low heat for an hour stirring occasionally.
In the last 10 minutes of cooking add figs, honey and lemon juice.
Serve with Couscous or rice.
Note: The lamb in this dish could be substituted with beef or chicken.
Alternatively, for a vegetarian version, substitute meat with chickpeas and hearty veg such as carrots, potatoes, aubergine etc. Adjust cooking time accordingly.
The tagine is ready when vegetables are cooked approximately thirty minutes.
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