Braised lamb recipe with couscous | Lamb recipes & main courses

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mediterranean braised lamb and couscous

main courses | serves 4
Heat a large saucepan and gently fry the onion in a little olive oil for 10 minutes. Add the diced lamb, the garlic, red pepper and tomato puree. Stir in the tomato base sauce, or tinned tomatoes, water and basil. Add salt to taste cover with a lid or a couple of tight layers of foil, then simmer on a low heat for around 1½ hours or transfer into a deep baking tin cover with foil and finish cooking it in the oven at 150 C/300 F/gas 2 for about 2 hours, or until the meat is tender.

Tip the dry couscous into a serving tin. Then pour the boiling vegetable stock on to the couscous - it should just cover it. Leave to stand for 10 minutes and then fluff up with a fork just before serving.

Serve the lamb with couscous and a mixed leaf salad.

From School Dinners

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ingredients

• 1 small onion, peeled and sliced
• light olive oil or vegetable oil
• 500g shoulder or leg of lamb, diced into small pieces
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 teaspoon tomato puree
• 400g tomato base sauce or 1 x 400g tin of plum tomatoes
• 400ml water
• 2 sprigs of fresh basil, shredded
• salt

for the couscous:
• 125g couscous
• 150g vegetable stock

user comments

24 comments

1. Lee Wallis Sun 14 Mar 2010 @ 19:39 I made a slight adjustment to the begining of the recipe using Jamie's method of making a basic tomato sauce (from his first cookery book). Fry off the (finely) chopped garlic first very gently until it starts to brown and add a teaspoon of dried oregano to the pan (add half a finley chopped red chilli minus the seeds at this stage if you wish but totally optional but if you do the heat disapates after the long cook just leaving the flavour). Then add the onions and follow the recipe as normal using good a good tin of plum tomatoes but dont's break the plum tomatoes until near serving as the seeds can make the flavour a little sour (as is the same as Jamie's basic tomato sauce recipe).
Truly a great recipe... Thanks Jamie and enjoy.

2. Kelcy Mon 30 Nov 2009 @ 15:18 I tried this recipe last night and I was very impressed.
I'm not a great cook by any means but this was really yummy.
I read a few of the comments beforehand about not adding as much water but I'd recommend following the recipe,it reduces quite a lot towards the end of cooking and it very nearly burnt.
I added a few chillis which gave it a bit of a kick.
I'll definately be trying this one again!

3. Carol Sun 19 Apr 2009 @ 17:47 Really enjoyed this, added sweet potato, some chopped dried apricots and 2tsps Harissa to give a more Moroccan feel. Served with new potatoes and olive bread. Delish, enough for 3 days meals for one. Thanks for website, no longer ready meal junkie:-)

4. Pat Wed 08 Apr 2009 @ 03:24 Tried it with stewing beef and cooked it very slowly. Came out great. Tried it also with eggplant for the veggie lovers. Went down well

5. Mary Hilda Wed 01 Apr 2009 @ 12:53 You can add all sorts of vegetables like potato, carrots, celery, courgettes, yellow pepper, aubergine. I cook a leg of lamb in all this and then cut it up later. Not so greasy the leg part and ofcourse Harissa!!

6. Grace Fri 06 Mar 2009 @ 13:00 If u have Harrisa, add some ....this is also fantastic !

7. Jacob Tue 03 Feb 2009 @ 18:44 jamie i love this dish i cooked it for my mom THANK YOU :) :P

8. Colin Sun 01 Feb 2009 @ 14:52 I added a small teaspoon of Ras El Hanoute for that authentic Morrocan Flavour. Fantastic

9. eljay Sun 21 Sep 2008 @ 17:04 For Melissa. Tomato base recipe serves 5 adaped for cooking at home by Jamie Oliver.
small amount of olive oil, 1 onion chopped, 2 red peppers chopped, 2 courgettes washed and grated, 2 carrots washed and grated, 1 butternut squash washed and chopped with seeds, pinch of oregano, 1 bay leaf, 2-3 tins tomatoes.

Method.

Fry onions and the rest of the vegetables over a low heat in a large saucepan for 10 minutes. Add oregano bay leaves and the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. Blitz to a puree with a hand blender.
It is okay to freeze until needed.

10. Melissa Sat 20 Sep 2008 @ 18:54 Hey i cant find the recipe for the tomato based sauce to go with this recipe can anyone help out? Thanx

11. Jake (Australia) Fri 19 Sep 2008 @ 02:11 Hi Jamie,
I'm Jake from the aussie land and i want to be a chef too!!!, just letting you know that i'm going to do your dish the "mediterranean braised lamb and couscous" for my year 11, term final. Is there anything you want to stress "what not to do?," let me know.
love your show!!!!!
....... hope i get an "A".....wish me luck,
Catcha later mate.

12. michnichols Sat 07 Jun 2008 @ 11:56 I cooked this dish in the slow cooker, and reduced the water by half. A delicious braised lamb!

13. Rosie Mon 02 Jun 2008 @ 00:48 This is dynamite jamie!
I added a fresh green chilli to spice it up. I find if I cook it one day before it's even nicer.
It's just the job to come home to after work on a wet Sydney evening.
Keep up the good work. all the best

14. andrew jones Sat 03 May 2008 @ 12:17 this is a lovely meal. Add some fresh chilli to spice it up and I had rice instead of couscous. Delicious!!!

15. Rachel Parkin Wed 09 Apr 2008 @ 22:12 Family loved it. Agree probably too much liquid, will cut it down nwxt time. Added black olives....scrummy !

16. Andy Macleod Wed 12 Mar 2008 @ 10:17 Very tasty but a couple of warnings.
It feeds 2 adults or 4 very small children.
400ml water is too much, you'll need to take off the lid and reduce. 275ml more accurate.

17. noah Sun 02 Mar 2008 @ 01:20 hi
this is a good combination of spiced food.Why not use chilli or lemon.it does`nt really matter i guess

reepies like these are the best
keep it up oliver

18. Francois Bezuidenhout Fri 08 Feb 2008 @ 13:42 Hi
This is very nice ive made it with pasta and my fiance LOVED it, im trying the mushroom stroganoff tonight.

Cheers from Cape Town

19. vanesha mauritius Fri 08 Feb 2008 @ 08:41 Hi Jamie,

I love to watch your recipies on tv.

I've tried some of your recipies for my family, it was delicious!

Thanks

Keep it up!!

20. bella Wed 23 Jan 2008 @ 16:38 can you tell me what else you used besides garlic and rosemary when you did a shoulder of lamb on tv last week please

21. kaz Wed 09 Jan 2008 @ 21:03 Has anyone tried an alternative meat with this it sounds delicious but not shopping til next week lol??

22. Donna Sat 22 Dec 2007 @ 14:19 Have ccoked this and it's delicious!

23. dayna Sun 28 Oct 2007 @ 11:27 hi sounds nice:)

24. piet Fri 21 Sep 2007 @ 15:50 why not in dutch