Hogget, Apricot & Chickpea Tagine

Name: Hogget, Apricot & Chickpea Tagine
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1kg diced hogget shoulder; 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 onions, sliced; 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 2 tsp ground cumin; 2 tsp ground coriander; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tsp smoked paprika; ½ tsp ground ginger; 1 tbsp tomato purée; 400g tin chopped tomatoes; 500ml lamb or chicken stock; 150g dried apricots, halved; 400g tin chickpeas, drained; 1 tbsp honey; Finely grated zest and juice of ½ lemon; Salt and black pepper; Toasted flaked almonds, coriander and couscous, to serve

Hogget's deeper flavour stands up beautifully to warm spices and fruit.

Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 2½–3 hours
Serves: 6
Difficulty: Medium

Method

1
Heat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan), Gas 3. Season the hogget. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a casserole and brown the meat in batches; set aside.
2
Add the remaining oil and onions. Cook gently for 8–10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and spices for 1 minute, then add the tomato purée.
3
Return the meat. Add the tomatoes and stock, scrape up the browned bits and bring to a simmer.
4
Cover and cook in the oven for 1½ hours. Stir in the apricots, chickpeas and honey, then cook covered for another 45–60 minutes, until the hogget is tender.
5
Stir in the lemon zest and juice. If the sauce is thin, simmer uncovered on the hob until glossy. Season to taste.
6
Scatter with almonds and coriander, then serve with couscous.

From the farm kitchen

A heavy casserole works as well as a tagine. Hogget comes from sheep between lamb and mutton in age and offers a richer flavour while remaining tender.

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