Luscious Lamb, Butternut Squash and Prune Tagine

We're well and truly into the lamb season here in the UK and what better excuse to eat some great food from Persia, where lamb is the meat of choice!?

This dish is really easy to prepare and you simply let it cook away for a few hours, filling your house with heavenly smells and freeing up your day to do, well, whatever you like! The spices used are not hot just beautifully aromatic and the tamarind, now found in all supermarkets, adds a tartness that really brings the dish to life. I like to make this in the place of a Sunday Roast because it's easier and it's great for sharing.

Luscious Lamb, Butternut Squash and Prune Tagine
Serves 6-8

rapeseed, olive or vegetable oil
2 onions, roughly diced
800g diced lamb (use neck fillet, leg or shoulder)
2 heaped tsp ground cumin
1 heaped tsp ground cinnamon
1 heaped tsp turmeric
sea salt
2 tbsp tamarind paste
2 heaped tbsp clear honey
1 medium-sized butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into 2 inch chunks
2 generous handfuls of pitted prunes

Preheat a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Drizzle in enough oil to cover the base of the pan, then add the onions and sauté until they begin to brown slightly around the edges - be patient! Add the lamb to the pan and stir the meat into the onions, ensuring you keep the meat moving s that it becomes nicely browned and not stewed.

Add the spices to the pan with a generous seasoning of salt and stir well to coat the meat thoroughly. Then, stir in the honey and tamarind paste and pour in just enough boiling water to cover the contents of the pan, bring to the boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer for an hour and a half, stirring every so often to prevent sticking.

After the cooking time has elapsed, add in the chunks of butternut squash, stir well and top up with a little more boiling water to just cover the contents of the pan. Cook for 30 minutes, then add the prunes, check the seasoning and add more salt if necessary and cook for a further 30 minutes. Serve with rice and/or flatbreads.

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