Moroccan lambstew with tabbouleh

Apricot chickpea lamb stew

This is based on a recipe from Oprah, here. We modified it for the pressure cooker.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds cubed lamb stew meat
• 2 tsp. ground coriander
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 3 tsp. salt , plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper , plus more to taste
• 4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large thinly sliced yellow onion
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 cup canned chickpeas , rinsed and drained
• 1 cup dried, pitted prunes or apricots (or a mixture of both)
• 4 medium carrots , halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 package (12 ounces) couscous

Directions

Note: You can adjust the stew to your taste. Prunes make it sweet; apricots add tartness. If possible, toast and grind your own coriander and cumin seeds for the best flavor.
Preheat oven to 175 °C. Spread lamb on a large sheet tray and pat dry. In a small bowl, stir together coriander, cumin, ginger, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, then sprinkle over lamb and toss well to coat.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large ovenproof Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Arrange 1/3 of lamb in pot in a single layer and cook, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer lamb to a large bowl; set aside. Repeat with rest of lamb, adding 1 tablespoon olive oil for each batch.
Add onions to pot, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring often, until softened and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Stir in broth, scraping up any browned bits. Transfer everything to the pressure cooker, add back lamb and juices. Add 2 cups water, cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon salt; stir well. Let the pressure cooker reach full pressure (one whistle), reduce heat to stabilize pressure and cook until almost done, about 20 minutes.
Transfer back into dutch oven; stir in chickpeas, dried fruit, and carrots. Cover pot; continue to cook in the oven until lamb is very tender, about 45 minutes. If desired, uncover pot and cook until thickened, 20 to 25 minutes more. About 15 minutes before serving, prepare tabbouleh.

Tabbouleh

The tabbouleh recipe we got here. We used much more bulgur, which turned out very nice too.

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup bulgur
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2 cups finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, (about 2 bunches)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions

Combine water and bulgur in a small saucepan. Bring to a full boil, remove from heat, cover and let stand until the water is absorbed and the bulgur is tender, 25 minutes or according to package directions. If any water remains, drain bulgur in a fine-mesh sieve. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool for 15 minutes.

Combine lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add parsley, mint, tomatoes, cucumber and scallions to the bulgur. Add the dressing and toss. Serve at room temperature or chill for at least 1 hour to serve cold.