Lamb & aubergine stew with crispy chickpea topping

Lamb & aubergine stew with crispy chickpea topping

By Cassie Best
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(7 ratings)
By
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Prep: 25 mins Cook: 2 hrs, 55 mins

Easy

Serves 6
A gutsy, lamb casserole laced with North African spices and topped with a crunchy crust of feta cheese and store cupboard pulses

Nutrition and extra info

  • Freezable

Nutrition: per serving

  • kcal526
  • fat33g
  • saturates14g
  • carbs28g
  • sugars10g
  • fibre7g
  • protein31g
  • salt2.4g
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Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
    olive oil

    Olive oil

    ol-iv oyl

    Probably the most widely-used oil in cooking, olive oil is pressed from fresh olives. It's…

  • 2 red onions, chopped
  • 600g lamb leg or shoulder, cut into chunks
    Lamb

    Lamb

    laam

    A lamb is a sheep that is under one year old, and is known for its delicate flavour and tender…

  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 aubergine, diced
    Aubergine

    Aubergine

    oh-ber-geen

    Although it's technically a fruit (a berry, to be exact), the aubergine is used as a…

  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 1 orange pepper, diced
    Peppers

    Pepper

    pep-iz

    Also known as capsicums, bell peppers, sweet peppers or by their colours, for example red and…

  • 1 tbsp ras-el-hanout (or use 1 tsp each of cumin, coriander and cinnamon)
  • 1 tbsp harissa
    Harissa

    Harissa

    ha-riss-ah

    This hot, aromatic paste made from chilli and assorted other spices and herbs is spicy and…

  • 400g can chopped tomato
  • good pinch sugar
    Sugar

    Sugar

    shuh-ga

    Honey and syrups made from concentrated fruit juice were the earliest known sweeteners. Today,…

  • 1 beef or lamb stock cube
  • small handful coriander, chopped
  • small handful mint, chopped
    Mint

    Mint

    mi-nt

    There are several types of mint, each with its own subtle difference in flavour and appearance.…

  • 2 x 400g cans chickpeas
  • 1 tsp cumin seed drained and rinsed
  • 200g pack feta cheese, crumbled

Method

  1. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in flameproof casserole dish. Add the onions and cook until softened. Season the lamb and toss in the flour. Push the onion to the edge of the pan, add the lamb, then cook for a few mins on each side until nicely browned.

  2. Add the garlic, aubergine, peppers, ras el hanout and harissa. Cook for a few mins until the spices are aromatic. Add the tomatoes, sugar, 400ml water (fill the tomato can and swish it around to get all the bits out) and crumble in the stock cube. Bring to a simmer, cover, then cook over a low heat for 2 hrs.

  3. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Add the herbs to the lamb stew and tip into a daking dish. Tip the chickpeas into a bowl with the cumin seeds, remaining oil and some seasoning. Leaving about half the chickpeas whole, lightly crush remainder with a fork or potato masher. Add half the feta and mix through. Scatter over the stew, top with remaining feta, then bake for 45 mins until the topping is really crispy and the stew is hot. See tips on freezing, below left.

  • Recipe Tip

    How to freeze your lamb stew

    Cook the stew to the end of Step 2, cool, then transfer to a plastic container and freeze for up to three months. Defrost, then continue from Step 3.

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Comments, questions and tips

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pmoss43
23rd May, 2017
5.05
Brilliant! Due to stocks in house I had to change red onions to white, harissa paste to a dried red chilli, peppers to green beans and no feta so just put some yoghurt out when serving. It was so great so thanks!
richard_no1
18th Jun, 2015
5.05
Great recipe. Added a little extra harissa and 2 chopped dried chillies. Reduced the sauce a little before adding the topping. Split into 3 foil containers with toppings for freezing. One third cooked in 35 mins at 180 fan.
lizleicester
7th Sep, 2014
5.05
Really tasty way to do lamb. I did stage 1 the day before and so only needed to add the herbs, re-heat and do the topping to have it ready for Sunday lunch. Simple and delicious.
helen707
27th Jul, 2014
5.05
Really tasty, i did not have chick peas so just used a herb breadcrumb topping, and added more veggies. Also could skim off fat after a couple of hours as shoulder is a bit fatty for our liking. But yes excellent recipe, easy to make in a large casserole, so not much washing up, even better. Really tender and plenty of left overs for another day!
emmas29
16th May, 2014
5.05
Delicious! I also used 2 aubergines and added an extra tsb or so of both harissa and ras-el-hanout as I like a bit of heat. Served with couscous this is a great dish for an informal dinner party!
pammiejay
26th Jan, 2014
5.05
Made as per the recipe but used 2 aubergines and 900g lamb. I would say this was the right amount of stew v topping. Used Belazu Rose Harissa which gave a nice spicy warmth. Good make ahead recipe (made the stew the day before and added the topping about 5hrs before it went in the oven).
ppp-99
29th Jul, 2013
Really enjoyed this and tasted great cold the next day. I used a combination of extra lean lamb mince and lentils to lighten the fat and calories and reduce the cooking time. Will definitely make again.
bezann1
16th Jul, 2013
An amazingly tasty dish. Cooked up to step 2 on Sunday and finished on Monday. The meat was so tender and the spice was perfection. Only adjustment-added an extra aubergine. I recommend using Tesco finest ras-el-hanout as the rose buds give that extra flavour.
espargal
30th Nov, 2014
I also don't understand the rinsed cumin seeds asked in a previous question. Can anyone enlighten us please.
eclectikat
8th Jun, 2014
I'm confused about the 1tsp cumin seed, drained and rinsed! The only way I have encountered cumin seed is dried. This sounds like they are talking about capers perhaps? Anyone have any idea?
ppp-99
9th Aug, 2015
I have this recipe from the magazine and its a mistake, the chickpeas should be drained and rinsed not the cumin!
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