Staying in: The Mince

Well, we wanted to make spaghetti bolognese, but it was raining, we were all in our onesies and all we had in the house was a bag of couscous and some frozen lamb mince. So we improvised with help from the kitchen cupboards, and came up with this corker.

Christened ‘The Mince’, it’s another classic bowl of comfort food, but this time it’s really low calorie, which was completely accidental (but a bonus nonetheless.)

Lamb bolognese/tagine/mincey thing (serves 6)

Ingredients

• 1 large onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1.5 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 650g lean lamb mince
• 1 tbsp harissa
• 1 can of chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsps tomato puree
• 150ml chicken or lamb stock
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 can of chickpeas
• 1 tbps olive oil
• Salt & pepper
• 200g couscous
• Chicken stock
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• Handful of chopped coriander

Method

1. Finely chop the onion and garlic.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy based pan or wok and cook the onion and garlic over a low heat until softened.

3. Add the herbs and spices and fry until the aromas are released.

4. Brown the lamb mince. You might have to do this in batches to make sure it browns properly – don’t be tempted to overcrowd the pan or it won’t go so well.

5. Stir in the harissa, then add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, sugar and stock.

6. Bring to the boil and then cover and simmer for about 40 minutes or until it’s thickened. If it starts to look dry, then add a little bit more water.

7. Place the couscous in a large heat resistant dish. Season and then add enough chicken stock to cover the couscous by about an inch.

8. Cover with a tea towel or foil and let the liquid absorb. Stir in a squeeze of lemon juice and a good handful of chopped coriander. You can add a glug of olive oil here too, if you like.

9. Serve with some more coriander and a good spoonful of hummus.

Calories per serving: 350 (minus the hummus…soz)