Easy Lamb Stew with Chickpeas 🇲🇦

This hearty Moroccan-style lamb stew will go down well with your family and friends.  It features fork-tender Aussie lamb cooked over the stovetop with onions, garlic, cumin, plenty of paprika to give that smoky flavour, the convenience of a tin of tomatoes, a tin of chickpeas and a carton of chicken stock.  The addition of a little honey and a handful of sultanas sweetens up the dish for good measure.  It is so easy to put together you have no excuse not to give it a go.  Serve with couscous to keep to the middle eastern theme, mashed potatoes or brown rice.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 600g/ 1lb 5oz lamb shoulder or leg, boned
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large red onion, finely sliced
• 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 400g/ 14oz tinned tomatoes
• 400g/ 14oz tinned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1½ cup chicken stock
• ¼ cup sultanas
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon chopped coriander, for garnishing

METHOD

1. Trim lamb and cut into 3cm/ 1" cubes.  Season with salt and pepper.
2. In a heavy base casserole dish, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over low heat.  Add the onion and gently stir fry for about 8 minutes until softened.  Add the garlic and stir fry for another minute.   Remove to a plate and set aside.
3. Add another tablespoon of oil to the same pan and increase the heat to high.  Brown lamb pieces all over in batches, careful not to overcrowd the pan resulting in the meat being stewed.  Add more oil if needed.
4. Add the cumin and paprika and stir fry them with the lamb for a minute.
5. Transfer the onions back into the pan, together with the tomatoes, stock and chickpeas.  Stir to combine.  Bring it to a boil, then simmer, covered, for about 30-40 minutes or until the lamb is tender.
6. Stir in honey and sultanas.  Cook, uncovered, for another 5 minutes to thicken the sauce slightly.
7. Garnish with chopped coriander.