We were on Facebook the other day and our friend, Tristan, said he had a hankering for lamb tagine.

Well, with the cooler weather approaching in the southern hemisphere that sounded pretty good to us too. So here it is…the perfect Sunday night dinner. And what’s not to like. A tagine is all about tender meat in a rich and sticky sauce, sweet as well as savoury, and oh so good.

1 onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
½ cup coriander, leaves and stalks
1 red chilli, roughly chopped
2 tsp cinnamon
½ cup pitted dates, roughly chopped
zest of 1 lemon
600g diced lamb, cut into chunks
1 tbs olive oil
1 cup water
400g tinned tomatoes

Cous cous
¾ cup cous cous
2 tbs sultanas
2 tbs slivered almonds, cashews or peanuts, lightly toasted
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup boiling water
2 tsp butter

In a food processor, blend the onion, garlic, coriander, chilli, cinnamon, dates and lemon zest into a paste.

Heat the oil in a tagine to medium-high and cook the lamb in batches, so it doesn’t simmer in its juices. When all the lamb has been browned, return it to the pan. Lower the heat to medium, add the spice paste and stir to coat the lamb. Allow to cook for 5 minutes until the paste becomes aromatic. Add the water and tinned tomatoes and mix well. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to a low simmer and put the lid on the tagine. Allow to simmer for 1½–2 hours, stirring occasionally and making sure it doesn’t dry out.

When the tagine is almost ready, put the cous cous into a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Take off the plastic wrap and add the butter. With a fork, rake through the cous cous to break up any lumps. Add the sultanas, toasted nuts and cinnamon, and mix through.

When the tagine is cooked (the lamb should be so tender it breaks apart), serve with the cous cous.

NB: if you don’t have a tagine use a wide, shallow casserole dish with a lid instead. We also reckon this dish done in a slow cooker would be amazing.